Overview

• A 44-year-old Spanish visitor sustained a minor scratch to his right arm and was treated and discharged the same day, officials said.
• The encounter occurred around 8:30am near a shuttle bus stop while the man and a companion were taking photos, and the animal fled afterward.
• The bear was about one meter long and is believed to be a juvenile Asian black bear, according to a Shirakawa village official.
• Shirakawa authorities closed walkways to an observatory, formed an emergency task force, and deployed police and licensed hunters to patrol and search the area.
• Rising sightings and attacks nationwide have prompted advisories and eased rules allowing hunters to use rifles in built-up areas, and this was the village’s first injury since 2014.