The store is close to mountainous areas but has never had bears come near before, Hiroshi Horikawa, a management planning official at the grocery store chain, told AFP.
“It entered from the main entrance and stayed inside for roughly four minutes,” he said.
“It almost climbed onto the fish case and damaged glass. In the fruits section, it knocked over a pile of avocados and stamped on them,” he added.
The store’s manager told local media that about 30 to 40 customers were inside at the time, and that the bear became agitated as it struggled to find the exit.
Between April and September, 108 people nationwide suffered injuries caused by bears, including five deaths, according to the environment ministry.
Also on Tuesday, a farmer in the Iwate region was scratched and bitten by a bear, accompanied by a cub, just outside his house.
A Spanish tourist on Sunday was attacked by a bear at a bus stop in scenic Shirakawa-go village in central Japan
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