The city of Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture, will compensate 18 residents who were injured by a wild monkey, officials said Wednesday.
The city will provide a lump sum of ¥20,000 to each of the residents who were attacked by a male macaque between Aug. 28 and Sept. 9.
"Considering the seriousness of the situation, in which the residents were consecutively menaced and many of whom suffered injuries, we have decided to provide compensation money for this incident," a municipal official explained.
The city offered ¥300,000 in compensation to the owner of the abandoned house where the animal was captured. The money will be provided to cover expenses incurred to repair walls and the ceiling of the house, which was partially damaged by the team conducting the monkey hunt.
The money will come from a fund of ¥360,000 from the city's budget with a supplement of ¥300,000 donated by a local hospital in early September to help capture the menacing monkey.
The decision was approved unanimously by the municipal assembly Tuesday.
Reports of monkey attacks started increasing in late August. Among the 18 men and women menaced by the primate, a man in his 20s required a total of 20 stitches in both of his arms and right leg. The man was reportedly attacked from behind while riding his bicycle.
As many as 2,500 licensed hunters, firefighters and police officers searched for the animal, which was captured Sept. 9. An alert over monkey attacks posted on the prefecture's website was called off Sept. 20.