Japan officials hunt bear that raided couple’s fridge amid string of break-ins

File image of a black bear in Iwate prefecture, northern Japan. Officials are hunting a bear that may be behind 14 break-ins in the town of Shizukuishi. Photograph: Yoshihiro Sato

Authorities are searching for a bear that sneaked into the home of an elderly couple and raided their fridge amid concerns it may be behind 14 break-ins across a Japanese town in the past fortnight.

On Monday evening, Mitsuo Matsubara, 87, was confronted by a large Asiatic black bear when he went to investigate a noise in his kitchen. His fridge was open, and food was strewn across the floor. His wife called the police.