Bear attack and sightings in western Tokyo lead to calls for people to stay vigilant
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The authorities in Japan told residents in affected areas to stay alert and said: “If you see a bear, don’t go near it. Call the police.”
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TOKYO – Multiple bear sightings
On Aug 23, a man fishing at Otaba River in Okutama was attacked by a bear and sustained injuries.
On Aug 27, bears were seen in Ome and Hinode, and municipalities in the area are calling for people to stay vigilant.
According to the Okutama municipal government, the bear attack on Aug 23 occurred at about 4.30pm. The man, who is in his 50s and not a resident of the town, was injured when the bear attacked him from behind. It was the first bear attack against a person in the town since 2019.
The man was fishing about 200m upstream from a campsite when he heard a sound like rocks falling. The moment he turned around, the bear scratched his forehead, eyelids, neck, arms and other parts of his body, causing him to bleed. The bear, which is presumed to be a cub, then ran away.
The man managed to walk back to the campsite and called for help. Staff at the campsite tended to him and called emergency services. He was then taken to a hospital in Ome via ambulance and was discharged the same day.
Immediately after learning about the attack, Okutama municipal government officials patrolled the area with members of the local hunters’ association and the Ome police. They used fireworks to scare away bears and used an emergency broadcast system to call for residents to be vigilant.
The group patrolled trails in the area and set up cages to catch bears. The hunters’ association has been checking the cages and patrolling the area since the attack.
The town is also using a smartphone app on which people in the town can report sightings of harmful animals.
There were about 130 bear sightings in the fiscal year of 2024, but there have been about 70 sightings from April to July this year.
Bears have also been sighted in Ome, which is next to Okutama.
On Aug 20, a bear was seen via a security camera at a parking lot in the city’s Nagabuchi area. The bear was seen near the front of a parked car and then ran up a hill and disappeared.
Since the Aug 23 attack in Okutama, bears have been seen in Ome at least three times.
In the early hours on the morning of Aug 27, a bear was seen along Ome Kaido avenue near Hinatawada Station on the JR Ome Line. Ome municipal government officials and members of the local hunters’ association were called in and they searched the neighborhood. However, they did not see any signs that a bear was nearby.
At about 1.40pm on Aug 27, a bear was seen on a road near a tourist facility in the Oguno district of Hinode.
The town’s municipal government told residents to stay alert and said: “If you see a bear, don’t go near it. Call the police.” THE JAPAN NEWS/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
