Wada Shiro, Bear Attack Victim: When it came right in front of me, I realized it was a bear. It pushed me and I fell down. The moment I fell, it climbed on top of me. There was nothing I could do.

According to the police, at around 9:30PM on August 10, a bear suddenly appeared out of the darkness and attacked this man.

The attack occurred in the Village of Tozawa in Yamagata Prefecture, in northern Japan while he was walking alone on a village road.

The bear was approximately 1.5 meters long.

The victim was scratched on his left cheek and suffered injuries to his face and head, and was taken to hospital.

He was on his way home from a neighborhood summer festival.

Wada Shiro, Bear Attack Victim: It was a little dark here where I was, but it came towards me. When it came right in front of me, about 1.5 meters away, I realized it was a bear. I was in a daze, so I don't remember clearly, but I know it attacked my face. It got on top of me, so I tried to chase it away, and that's when it bit my arm. I also have wounds on my body. On my head... on my back... It was very scary.

After the attack, the bear left in an easterly direction.

Wada Shiro, Bear Attack Victim: This is the first time I've been in this situation, and it made me realize that it's not just someone else's problem.

The Yamagata Prefectural Police have stepped up patrols in the area around the scene and are calling on residents to be vigilant.