Overview
- The local hunting team, which opened fire Sunday on a third brown bear on a slope, saw the wounded animal roll downhill and strike 69-year-old Norihiko Takashima.
- A five-person crew from a local hunting association had already culled two bears during a spring management capture in mountain terrain about 3.4 kilometers southeast of Gunai Onsen near Shimamaki Village.
- Suttsu Police said Takashima suffered head and facial wounds and was taken to a Sapporo medical facility, where his injuries were assessed as not life-threatening.
- Authorities later confirmed the bear that hit the hunter was dead following the encounter.
- Spring “management capture” targets post-hibernation brown bears to reduce human–bear conflicts in Hokkaido, and officials have been expanding tools such as drones, electric fences, and box traps as sightings and encounters rise.