Recently, the renowned Japanese Shinkansen bullet train, known for its punctuality, faced delays in multiple services due to a rare incident of a train colliding with a bear. The East Japan Railway Company, responsible for operating the Tohoku Shinkansen, stated that this accident was extremely unusual, and it is still unclear how the bear managed to get onto the elevated railway tracks.
According to the Yomiuri Shimbun, on the afternoon of June 28th, a Shinkansen train collided with a bear while traveling in Miyagi Prefecture, resulting in a temporary suspension of train services between Sendai Station and Morioka Station in northeastern Japan, with no reports of casualties.
JR East reported that the train involved in the bear collision was the “Hayabusa No. 25” bound for Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto from Tokyo, operating in multiple unit coupling with the “Komachi No. 25” bound for Akita.
At 4:02 p.m., abnormal noises were detected by staff on the train between Sendai Station and Furukawa Station, leading to an inspection of the carriages. As a result, the Tohoku Shinkansen train service between Sendai and Morioka was temporarily halted for 37 minutes.
The company described this as a highly uncommon incident, with uncertainties surrounding how the bear ended up on the tracks.
A train crew member had spotted the bear in the direction of travel before the accident occurred, and discovered the bear’s body near the railway tracks after the train stopped.
During the period of the Tohoku Shinkansen train service suspension, including the halted trains, a total of five round trips were delayed, affecting approximately 2,300 passengers.
Apart from the Shinkansen train delays, recent bear sightings have also led to flight cancellations in the northeastern part of Japan.
Reports from Kyodo News mentioned a bear entering Yamagata Airport in Tohoku on June 26, resulting in the closure of the runway and flight cancellations.
Around 7 a.m. that day, airport staff first spotted the bear near the runway, prompting the closure of the runway for about 30 minutes starting from 8 a.m. By 11:55 a.m., the runway was closed again as the bear reappeared in the airport area, including on the runway.
This incident led to the cancellation of ten flights at the airport, with an additional four flights being delayed.
A circulated video clip online shows a high-visibility airport vehicle attempting to drive away the unwanted guest, but the bear quickly fled without being captured.
Airport official Akira Nagai informed AFP that due to the bear intrusion, the airport was unable to allow planes to land, and hunters have set traps in an attempt to capture the bear.
In Japan, human encounters with bears have reached record levels. In the 12 months leading up to April 2024, a total of 219 people were attacked by bears, resulting in six fatalities.