Bear attacks continue in Japan as winter sets in

Bear attacks are continuing in Japan despite the onset of the snow season. Four people were injured on Thursday morning.

In Toyama Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast, a couple in their 70s who were reportedly delivering newspapers were attacked early on Thursday.

Police say a witness reported the incident in Toyama City around 2:30 a.m. They say the couple were both conscious when they were taken to hospital.

City officials say what appeared to be bear feces was found near the attack site.

City workers and police officers are patrolling the area. In Nagano Prefecture, central Japan, a bear assaulted a man in his 70s when he was clearing snow near his home in Nozawaonsen Village on Thursday morning.

Police say the man was clawed in the face and thigh. He was rushed to a hospital, but his condition is reportedly not life-threatening.

Police received a report on the attack around 6:30 a.m. They say the animal had fled when they arrived at the scene.

Police and local hunters are searching for the bear and are calling on local residents to remain vigilant. The area has many homes and inns, with some vehicle traffic in the daytime.

In another incident on Thursday morning, a bear injured a man in his 70s in a mountainous area of Masuda City in Shimane Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast.

Shimane officials say this is the first bear attack resulting in human injury to be confirmed in the prefecture in the current fiscal year.

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