A bear bit a 91-year-old woman on the nose and mouth in Hayakawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Friday afternoon, injuring her. Hunters from a local hunting association later killed the animal believed to have attacked her.
The attack happened at around 2:30 p.m. The woman had visited a nearby house and then stopped at a field in front of her own home, where the bear set upon her, the town said. She was taken to a hospital.
Hunters found an Asiatic black bear weighing 40 to 50 kilograms and about 3 years old, along with a cub, in woods near the field. They killed both with the town's permission.
Hayakawa had received reports of bear sightings from Thursday, and the town had been warning residents over its disaster radio system. Hunting association members were patrolling the area.
Bear encounters have moved from mountain trails into the places where people live. In this case the woman was attacked in a field beside her own front door, minutes after leaving a neighbor's house.