Grocery Worker in Japan Injured in Supermarket Bear Attack

Can You Believe It?

Akita, Japan (WorkersCompensation.com) – A supermarket employee is recovering after being attacked by a bear that walked into his store.

Officials said the 47-year-old man was taken to the hospital with facial and other injuries after he was attacked in the store. The man was working near the supermarket’s delicatessen section before the store opened on Saturday, Nov. 30. Another worker saw the attack and helped the injured man to safety. The two men secured themselves in a storage area before calling the police, Japanese news Kyodo said.

Once the two workers were evacuated from the building, the bear took up residence, officials said. For three days, the bear helped himself to meat from the store before disappearing.

In addition to calling out police in riot gear, law enforcement also used drones to try and find the bear inside the store.

Police called in licensed hunters to kill the 3-meter long bear, but said they were unable to locate it inside the store. Instead, store employees set a trap for the bear, loaded with apples, honey and bread, between the entrance to the store and the storage area where the employees had previously hidden. Other traps were laid near the meat section, the news outlet said.

On Dec. 2, the trap’s sensors were activated early in the morning. Police said the bear was found in the trap and was tranquilized before being euthanized.

Bears have become a big problem in parts of northern Japan, as the bears have begun to leave their natural habitat in search of food. Residents have been told to stay alert, even in urban areas, while the animals begin the process of going into hibernation. Some officials have warned that hungry animals may continue to forage for food during the colder months due to the scarcity of food within their habitats.

Residents in Akita reported bear sightings the days before the attack. The prefecture was the scene of two incidents last year, including one where a man lost part of an ear after coming across a bear in his garage, and another where a bear mauled several people at a bus stop.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Environment, 212 people survived bear attacks in Japan last year, and six died.

In North America, between 2000 and 2017, there were 48 fatal bear attacks, and there were two fatal bear attacks in 2023.

In Japan, workers’ compensation is known as Workers’ Accident Compensation Insurance and is a government-managed program that provides benefits to workers and their families if they are injured, become sick or die due to work-related circumstances.

All companies, including universities, are required to enroll in the program, with small and medium-sized businesses, the self-employed and workers assigned overseas given the option to join.

The program aims to “give prompt and fair protection against the injury, disease, disorder and death resulting from on-the-job accidents or those encountered during commuting, the industrial accident compensation insurance is aimed at providing necessary insurance benefits, promoting the social rehabilitation of industrial accident victims, giving support to such victims and their bereaved families, and ensuring proper working conditions, thereby contributing to the improvement of workers' welfare,” according to Japan’s Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare.

Benefits include medical benefits, cash benefits, disability pensions and funeral expenses. Workers receive 60 percent of their average wage in cash benefits after a three-day waiting period, while a deceased workers’ survivors receive 30 to 50 percent of the deceased worker’s annual average earnings, or a lump sum payment. Surviving family benefits can be paid as a lump sum equivalent to up to the basic benefit amount for 1,000 days. The system also pays 315,000 Yen (about $2,096 American) plus the basic amount of benefit per day for up to 60 days.

The system also pays for nursing care for accidents, and special benefits and allowances to help the victims with their children’s school expenses and other needs. The program also operates 39 hospitals for work-related injuries, the Ministry said.

Workers are covered for injuries that occur at work, as well as injuries that occur while commuting to and from work including on the way to purchase everyday items.

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