Two female employees at a bear park in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, died Friday after apparently being attacked by bears, police said.
A woman in her 70s was found collapsed near the cage and had been bitten on her leg, while a woman in her 60s was found dead later, according to the police.
The door to the cage was open and six bears had escaped. They were all shot and killed later, the police said.
The Hachimantai Bear Farm has been raising 38 bears and is scheduled to reopen later this month following a winter break that started in late October.