Fisherman fights bear with karate

A Japanese man in his 60s fought off a wild bear using karate to save his life. Martial arts expert Atsushi Aoki was fishing in a mountain creek when the massive 6ft 3ins Asian black bear attacked him.Using only his bare hands to fend off the beast, the 63-year-old told a Japanese broadcaster: "I thought it's either 'I kill him
or he kills me'."

However Mr Aoki didn't escape unscathed and was left with injuries to his head, arm and leg.

"The bear was so strong and it knocked me down.

"It turned me over and bit me right here," he said pointing to his bandaged leg.

But a few karate chops to the creature's eyes sent the bear running into the woods, giving Mr Aoki a chance to make a dash for his car.

"He drove himself to hospital and he even remembered to grab the fish that he had caught," a local police officer said.

Japanese authorities advised against Mr Aoki's course of action when confronted with a wild bear.

Four people have been killed in separate bear attacks in Japan this year.