News Black Bear Nishigo, Fukushima Apr 21, 2026, 03:00 PM

Description

At the Shirakawa Nunobiki-yama training ground, dry grass ignited during live-fire training and a forest fire broke out; it was largely extinguished after about five hours. After firefighting, a male Self-Defense Forces member in his 30s was attacked by a bear while descending and suffered injuries to his arm and wrist.

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

Summary

At the JSDF Shirakawa Nunobiki-yama training area in Nishigo, Fukushima, dry grass ignited during live-fire exercises and caused a forest fire. After the blaze was brought under control, a male service member in his 30s was attacked by a bear while descending and sustained injuries to his arm and wrist; the garrison is investigating the circumstances.

Bear Type

Black Bear

Number of Bears

1

Provider Type

News

Date & Time

Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 03:00 PM

Address

Coordinates

37.161726, 140.107223

Sources