Overview

• Police in Miyagi Prefecture say a group of four mushroom pickers was separated in a forest near Aratozawa Dam, where a woman in her 70s was found dead and another woman remains missing.
• The two uninjured members of the Miyagi group reported a possible bear attack around 1:30 p.m., and officers are interviewing them while continuing a search for the missing woman.
• In Nagano’s Oshika Village, 78-year-old Tetsuo Hirase was located deceased in the mountains with scratches on his face and neck, and police are investigating a suspected bear mauling.
• Akita Prefecture authorities reported two additional incidents: a man in his 70s was injured while gathering chestnuts in Kazuno on September 27, and a man in his 30s was bitten during a night walk in Misato on October 2; both are non–life-threatening.
• Local reports also cite multiple injuries from separate bear encounters in Kazuno on October 2, underscoring a run of incidents in northern regions.