News Black Bear Tochinai, Hanamaki (Iwate), Iwate Feb 13, 2026, 04:05 AM
Location
Description
Around 13:05 on February 13, in Tochinai, Hanamaki, hunter-association member Kenya Sato (70) was attacked by an adult bear while working to repel it and suffered injuries to his face and head. Sato was airlifted to hospital, and the bear believed to have attacked him was later culled in Kitakami.
Note: Official sources provide information in Japanese only. This description has been machine translated for your convenience.
Summary
On the afternoon of February 13 in Tochinai, Hanamaki (Iwate), a 70-year-old member of the local hunter association was attacked by an adult bear that emerged from the woods while they were trying to drive it away with firecrackers. The man was injured in the face and head and airlifted to hospital; the bear believed responsible was later culled in Kitakami. This was the first bear-related human injury in the prefecture this year.
Bear Type
Black Bear
Number of Bears
1
Provider Type
News
Date & Time
Friday, February 13, 2026 at 04:05 AM
Address
Tochinai, Hanamaki (Iwate), Iwate
Coordinates
39.350540, 141.030888
Sources
Related Areas
Comments (1)
有害鳥獣対策の最中に襲われるなんて、午後1時という昼間でも油断できないんだ。
Hiking in bear country
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