A surfer was bitten by a shark in Iwata City, Shizuoka Prefecture.
The 42-year-old was around 80 meters (87 yd) off the mouth of Ota River in Iwata City around 9:45 a.m. September 3.
As the male office worker was sitting on his board awaiting a wave, the shark grabbed his left foot and ankle.
He was able to kick the shark off before paddling into to shore.
According to the Iwata Station and the City Crisis Management Division the man had tearing on the inside of his foot that will require hospitalization for around 3 weeks.
While the surfer did not see the shark, a person on shore reported seeing a dorsal fin approach the surfer before he was bitten and several surfers had seen a shark like creature in the waters around the area over the last few weeks.
Authorities have requested local fire departments to alert citizens of the incident.
There have been a total of 73* shark attack bites in 2017, 5 of which were fatal*; 35 were reported in the US, with 23 occurring in Florida** and one in Hawaii. Ten occurred in Australia, one of which was fatal and one with no injury. Five unconfirmed worldwide and not included in the total count.
All locations have been marked on the 2017 Shark Attack Bites Tracking Map.
*Two may be scavenge. **One report may have been outside of Florida waters.
