Overview

• Hokkaido issued a Higuma warning for Nishi-ku, the first for Sapporo, after a nighttime attack in Heiwa Kyuryo Park on September 26.
• A 43-year-old man walking his dog suffered a right-arm injury but is stable after escaping to a nearby home and calling 119.
• Police, city staff, and contracted hunters began a search in adjacent woodland around 8:40 a.m. on September 27, and the park remains closed.
• Officers reported a bear sighting about 400 meters west of the park roughly an hour after the attack, and reports indicated an adult bear with a cub at the scene.
• The prefecture kept bear notices in place for six Sapporo wards and urged residents to avoid night and early-morning outings and to secure garbage and crops.