AKITA – The body of a 79-year-old woman who appears to have been attacked by a bear was found Monday morning in a forested area in the mountains of Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, local police said.
It is believed that she entered the area to pick mushrooms. Police identified the victim as Kiyo Goto, an unemployed local resident living near the mountains. The severity of her facial injuries suggests she was mauled by a bear.
Police said Goto phoned her family, with whom she did not live, on Sunday morning, to tell them that she was going to the mountains. Her family visited her home but called police after she failed to return by evening. Her body was found around 9 a.m. Monday.
Due to the increasing seriousness of bear attacks in the prefecture, Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki has requested the consideration of dispatching Self-Defense Forces personnel.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said last week that the SDF plans to offer logistical support to local authorities, such as transporting and disposing of culled bears. The SDF is not legally permitted to take part in the shooting of bears.
Brown bears in Hokkaido and black bears in Honshu, Japan’s main island, and Shikoku, one of its four main islands, are the two species that inhabit the country, according to the Environment Ministry. Akita Prefecture is located in Honshu.