An Unusual Incident: Bear Strikes a Train on Japan's High-Speed Line
Recently, a number of bear sightings have been reported across Japan. On the afternoon of the 28th, a train traveling on the Tohoku Shinkansen struck a bear in Miyagi Prefecture. The driver noticed the bear on the tracks around 4:02 PM while passing through the town of Ōgō and made an emergency stop, but it was too late and the train collided with the bear, subsequently discovering a bear carcass nearby.
This rare event caused a temporary halt of services on both sides of the track for 37 minutes, affecting 5 trains and approximately 2300 passengers. A staff member from NHK, who boarded the next train, noted that several announcements were made regarding the collision, reassuring passengers once the situation was cleared. The incident raised questions about how a bear ended up on the elevated tracks.
