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A BEAR was shot dead overnight after it attacked nine people, including tourists, at a bus station in a mountainous area of central Japan, Kyodo news agency reported.
Four men were seriously injured in the attack in Takayama, Gifu prefecture, Kyodo said, quoting local police.
Injuries included facial bite marks but none were life-threatening.
After the afternoon attack, the 1.3-metre (four-foot) male black bear fled into the bus terminal building, where it was trapped in a souvenir shop by employees.
It was later shot dead by hunters, Kyodo said.
An expert on Asian black bears told the agency it was unusual for them to attack humans and suggested it may have panicked.
The bus station is at the end of a scenic road where buses take tourists through the spectacular mountain scenery between May and October.
A company that manages the terminal for the Takayama city government said it had received reports of bear sightings in the area this year, but had not taken countermeasures such as setting up a fence around the facility.
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