MORIOKA, Japan - A bear broke into the kitchen of an elderly resident in northeastern Japan and apparently opened a refrigerator in search of food, police said Tuesday, adding to a series of bear encounters that have raised the alarm among residents.
Mitsuo Matsubara, an 87-year-old resident of Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture, found a bear in his kitchen after investigating a noise Monday night. His wife called emergency services.
The police believe the bear entered and later left the house through a back door after pulling items from the refrigerator, which were later found scattered across the floor.
In a related incident in the same town, a bear made four unwanted visits to the home of Mitsuo Yamamoto, 70, in the week through Saturday, targeting cat food and pickles, the police said. No one was injured.
A series of bear sightings has been reported recently as hot weather persists in various parts of Japan.
A brown bear encounter prompted the emergency closure of hiking trails on Mt. Rausu in Hokkaido, northern Japan, last Thursday, but the 1,660-meter mountain will reopen to climbers on Thursday, local authorities said.
The closure came only days after the climbing season began on July 5.
