News Black Bear Hanawa, Kazuno City, Akita Nov 16, 2025, 03:30 PM

Description

On November 16 at around 15:30, an elderly woman's body was found in a rice field in Hanawa, Kazuno City; she had lacerations to the head and right hand and bite-like wounds on both legs, and police are investigating a possible bear attack. Earlier that day a male bear about 80 cm long entered the Aeon Noshiro store in Noshiro City, remained for about two and a half hours, was sedated by prefectural staff and euthanized, and no customers or employees were injured.

Note: Official sources provide information in Japanese only. This description has been machine translated for your convenience.

Summary

On the 16th in Akita Prefecture, bear-related incidents occurred in succession. A woman's body was found in a rice field in Hanawa, Kazuno City, with wounds consistent with a bear attack, while earlier that day a roughly 80 cm male bear entered the Aeon Noshiro store, stayed for about two and a half hours, was sedated and euthanized, and no one was injured. Police are working to identify the woman and determine the cause of death.

Bear Type

Black Bear

Number of Bears

1

Provider Type

News

Date & Time

Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 03:30 PM

Address

Coordinates

40.192620, 140.788268

Sources