Japanese catch shark fever

TOKYO - Just when swimmers thought it was safe to return to the sea, shark fever has gripped Japan again, writes Terry McCarthy. Last week sharks were blamed for claiming their second Japanese victim this year.

In March a shellfish diver disappeared in the Inland Sea between the main island of Honshu and the smaller island of Shikoku in southern Japan; only his helmet, bearing sharp teeth-marks, was retrieved. Then last week, a man on Amami island, close to Okinawa, went fishing on the rocks and never came home. Divers found his trousers, also bearing sharp teeth-marks, in the sea. Scientists are investigating the apparent increase in the number of sharks.