Bear injures two in Japan supermarket, man killed in separate attack

Tokyo: An agitated bear roamed the aisles of a supermarket in central Japan, injuring two men and frightening shoppers while separately a man was foun...

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-metre (4.5-foot) 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.