Bear attacks police officer in Iwate, mauled female body found nearby

A police officer was mauled by an adult black bear while searching for a missing woman in the mountains of Iwate Prefecture on Tuesday, with a severely damaged female body later found near the scene, authorities said.

The incident occurred around 10am near a mountain stream in Shiwacho. Several officers and members of a local hunter's association were searching for a woman who had gone missing in the area when a male officer in his 50s was suddenly attacked by an adult Asian black bear, suffering serious bites and lacerations to his face and right arm. He was airlifted to hospital and is conscious with non-life-threatening injuries.

Members of the hunter's association shot and killed the bear. Near the site, police discovered a badly damaged female body, partially dismembered and suspected of having been eaten by the bear. Authorities are working to identify the remains, believed to be the missing woman, and are investigating whether she was killed by the bear.

This is the third bear attack in Iwate this year. With the end of hibernation, bear sightings have become increasingly frequent, with a black bear recently entering central Sendai. Experts warn that bear behaviour this year is unusual, with some ending hibernation early and displaying high aggression.