A dog attack near a park in Gunma Prefecture on Wednesday resulted in 12 people being bitten, including nine elementary school pupils, with five taken to the hospital, local authorities said. Their injuries were not life-threatening.
Police received an emergency call around 4:10 p.m. from a man who witnessed the dog attack near Seibu Chuo park in the city of Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture. Those hurt in the attack are between the ages of 7 and 63, the police said.
The police have questioned the dog’s owner, a 62-year-old man who lives in Isesaki. Further investigation is underway amid suspicion that the owner may bear responsibility for the injuries due to negligence.
The dog, a 2-year-old Shikoku breed, was captured and is approximately 130 centimeters long and 60 cm tall, according to local police. They reported that it was not wearing a collar at the time of the attack.
A girl who was at the park at the time said, “The dog looked angry. I was scared and frantically ran away.”
A 13-year-old female junior high school student living nearby witnessed a large dog attacking a smaller dog with a man at around 4:30 p.m. She said, “The man kicked the dog to drive it away. It was scary.”
No cases of rabies infections within Japan have been reported since the 1950s.