In Japan, a young woman recently went out with her newborn son and unexpectedly encountered a black bear attack. Determined to protect her baby boy, she bravely kicked the bear, successfully fending it off. It is worth mentioning that this courageous young mother previously served in the Japan Self-Defense Forces.
According to a report by Asahi Shimbun, the incident took place at 9 p.m. on September 11th in Otsuchi Town, Iwate Prefecture. The 21-year-old former Self-Defense Forces member, Ayuka Saito, realized she was running low on seasonings at home and decided to go out to buy some.
Carrying her one-month-old son, Ayuka Saito walked about 50 meters when she encountered three wild Asian black bears – one adult bear about 1 meter tall and two cubs.
Upon seeing her, the larger bear immediately charged towards her. Despite her military service, she had never learned how to deal with wild bears. With the sole thought of “protecting my child” in mind, she used her right foot to give a powerful kick.
She felt the kick hit the bear’s abdomen, causing it to retreat a few steps in fear, allowing her to swiftly walk away with her child. The bear followed them for a while, but when she looked back, it was gone.
Ayuka Saito mentioned that she was born and raised in a coastal town in Fukushima Prefecture. The tsunami triggered by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake destroyed her hometown, and the Japan Self-Defense Forces had previously helped her and her family. Therefore, after graduating from school, she joined the Self-Defense Forces and met her husband, who had a similar experience.
Now both retired, they moved to her husband’s hometown of Otsuchi Town six months ago. This was the first time she had encountered wild bears.
Following the incident, she decided to purchase a bear bell from the pharmacy to scare away bears and prevent a similar situation from happening again.
Data from the Nature Conservation Division of Iwate Prefecture shows that as of the end of August this year, bear attacks in the prefecture have resulted in one death and seven injuries. Ayuka Saito was fortunate to escape unharmed in this attack. Nonetheless, department officials advise that when faced with a bear, one should not provoke or run away from it, but should instead keep eyes on the bear and slowly and quietly back away.
Incidents where Japanese women repel bear attacks have also occurred in Hiroshima Prefecture previously.
In a previous report by Epoch Times,
On the afternoon of July 16, 2020, 82-year-old Hiroshima resident Rumiko Sasaki and her husband were weeding in their backyard. Suddenly, Rumiko Sasaki’s husband shouted, “There’s a bear!”
At that moment, Rumiko Sasaki stood up from where she was weeding and saw a black bear approaching her, claws aimed at her face. Her immediate reaction was a loud “Ah!” followed by throwing the bear away and hitting it a few times, after which the bear fled.
Rumiko Sasaki sustained a few scratches on her face requiring a few stitches, but fortunately, they were minor injuries.