A man was hospitalised in central Japan after being attacked by a bear that had wandered into a steel plant. The incident, which occurred on Tuesday morning at the Nippon Steel plant in Kimitsu, Chiba prefecture, was captured on security cameras and has since circulated online. The victim, a worker in his 40s, sustained injuries to his head and arm but is reported to be in a stable condition.
Local authorities confirmed that the bear, a young male estimated to be two years old, was later tranquilised and captured by wildlife officials. The animal had entered the facility through an open gate, triggering an alarm that prompted workers to evacuate. The attack lasted less than a minute before the bear fled to a nearby wooded area.
Industrial sites in rural Japan have increasingly reported encounters with bears as their natural habitats shrink. The government has urged factories near forests to reinforce perimeter fencing and install motion sensors. This incident underscores the growing challenge of human-wildlife conflict in the country's industrial zones.
