TOKYO: An agitated bear roamed the aisles of a supermarket in central Japan, injuring two men and frightening shoppers while separately a man was found dead in a suspected mauling, officials and reports said Wednesday.
More and more wild bears have been spotted in Japan in recent years, even in residential areas, due to factors including a declining human population and climate change.
A man was found dead on a mountain Wednesday in northern Iwate region after another suspected bear attack, according to public broadcaster NHK, citing police.
Separately, the 1.4-meter adult bear that entered the supermarket Tuesday evening – in Numata, Gunma, north of Tokyo – lightly injured a man in his 70s and another in his 60s, regional police and fire officials said.
The store is close to mountainous areas, but has never had bears come near before, Hiroshi Horikawa, a management planning official at the grocery store chain, told AFP.
“It entered from the main entrance and stayed inside for roughly four minutes,” he said.
“It almost climbed onto the fish case and damaged glass. In the fruits section, it knocked over a pile of avocados and stamped on them,” he added.
The store’s manager told local media that around 30 to 40 customers were inside at the time, and that the bear became agitated as it struggled to find the exit.
Between April and September 108 people nationwide suffered injuries caused by bears, including five deaths, according to the environment ministry.
Also on Tuesday, a farmer in Iwate region was scratched and bitten by a bear, accompanied by a cub, just outside his house.
A Spanish tourist on Sunday was attacked by a bear at a bus stop in scenic Shirakawa-go village in central Japan.
Bear injures two in Japan supermarket, man killed in separate attack
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Bear injures two in Japan supermarket, man killed in separate attack
- More and more wild bears have been spotted in Japan in recent years, even in residential areas
- The store is close to mountainous areas, but has never had bears come near before
Macron vows stronger cooperation with Nigeria after mass kidnappings
- Macron wrote on X that France “will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations”
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday that France will step up cooperation with Nigeria after speaking with his counterpart, as the West African country faces a surge in abductions.
Nigeria has been wracked by a wave of kidnappings in recent weeks, including the capture of over 300 school children two weeks ago that shook Africa’s most populous country, already weary from chronic violence.
Macron wrote on X that the move came at Nigerian President Bola Tinubu’s request, saying France “will strengthen our partnership with the authorities and our support for the affected populations,” while urging other countries to “step up their engagement.”
“No one can remain a spectator” to what is happening in Nigeria, the French president said.
Nigeria has drawn heightened attention from Washington in recent weeks, after US President Donald Trump said in November that the United States was prepared to take military action there to counter the killing of Christians.
US officials, while not contradicting Trump, have since instead emphasized other US actions on Nigeria including security cooperation with the government and the prospect of targeted sanctions.
Kidnappings for ransom by armed groups have plagued Nigeria since the 2014 abduction of 276 school girls in the town of Chibok by Boko Haram militants.
The religiously diverse country is the scene of a number of long-brewing conflicts that have killed both Christians and Muslims, often indiscriminately.
Many scholars say the reality is more nuanced, with conflicts rooted in struggles for scarce resources rather than directly related to religion.
