Bear Attacks Man in Public Restroom

There has been a record surge of bear attacks in parts of Japan this year; a Friday incident adds to that tally. Kyodo News reports a security guard in Japan was about to exit a public restroom near a train station when he spotted a bear peering in. The 69-year-old guard was at a bathroom just outside JR Numata Station in Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, when he spotted the bear peering in as he was about to leave.

He fell backward but managed to kick his legs at the animal, which was estimated to be about 3 to 5 feet long, prompting it to take off. The man then called in the incident, which occurred around 1:20am, after train service for the day had ended. He suffered minor abrasions on one leg. The Guardian reports a record 13 people have been killed by bears in the country since April. The Straits Times reports the situation has left some people so unnerved that an insurance company on Friday announced it would begin offering an insurance product to hotel and leisure companies that would compensate them in the event they suffer a bear intrusion and lose revenue as a result.