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A Japanese boy who miraculously survied six days alone in bear-infested forest without food or water told the rescuer who found him he was hungry, before wolfing down rice balls and bread.  

Yamato Tanooka, seven, was rushed to hospital suffering exhaustion and dehydration but otherwise apparently unharmed on Friday after a massive search ended with the boy being found in deep woods on the northern island of Hokkaido.

He was discovered inside an old Self-Defense Forces training facility in the town of Shikabe about five kilometres from where he disappeared. 

Last Saturday his parents made him get out of their car as punishment for misbehaving, leaving him behind in a wooded area. When they returned minutes later, he had disappeared.