TOKYO, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Part of a dead body was discovered Tuesday in a mountain area of western Tokyo, with tracks believed to have been left by a large animal found nearby, local media reported.
The body with its upper half missing was found on Tuesday at about 1 p.m. local time in the Nippara area of Okutama Town under a cliff a little more than 100 meters from a hiking trail, Kyodo News reported, citing the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
Besides the suspected animal footprints, excrement is said to have been found near the body, the report said.
A backpack and trekking poles were found some distance away, it added.
The site where the body was found is known as the Nagasawa ridge, an area that straddles the border between Okutama and Chichibu in Saitama Prefecture. There have been numerous reports of bear sightings in the Okutama area since April.
Police are working to identify the victim, whose gender and age have yet to be determined, while investigating the possibility of an attack by a bear or other wild animal, the report said. ■