Overview

• Tokyo’s Ome police are searching after a resident reported a roughly 1‑meter bear‑like animal near homes and an elementary school around midday on Oct. 19, with no injuries reported and residents advised to limit outings.
• Sendai police received multiple 110 calls on Oct. 19 about a bear about 1.5 meters long near the Mogasaki area; the animal fled into adjacent mountain woodland by the city’s wildflower garden.
• NHK reports a man in Yamagata Prefecture’s Shonai Town was injured by a bear on the morning of Oct. 19 while picking mushrooms, according to police.
• In Gunma’s Minakami Town on Oct. 18, a 64‑year‑old man suffered severe head and facial injuries while mushroom‑picking and a woman in her 70s received minor injuries while walking a dog.
• Gunma police say the two Minakami attack sites were roughly 8–10 kilometers apart and it is unknown whether the same bear was involved, as authorities issue cautions and experts note bears often target the face.