Two people were seriously injured by bears Friday morning in separate attacks in Hyogo and Hiroshima prefectures.
In Mikata, Hyogo Prefecture, 82-year-old Tsuruko Kedo was attacked by a bear near her house and suffered serious injuries to her head and hands, police and rescue officials said.
The bear struck the back of Kedo's head as she was gathering flowers in a field near her house. A man saw the bear running away and Kedo lying on the ground.
The incident occurred about 700 meters from a vegetable field where, on Monday evening, a 73-year-old farmer was attacked and slightly injured by a bear.
Meanwhile, in Yuki, Hiroshima Prefecture, 61-year-old Katsuyuki Katai called for an ambulance on his mobile phone after a bear attacked him on a mountain at the back of his home around 7:30 a.m. Friday.
He was hospitalized with serious injuries to his left wrist and thighs, authorities said.