Japanese City Closes 94 Schools After First Bear Sighting
Utsunomiya shut all primary and middle schools for two days after a black bear appeared near a park on Saturday and was filmed on CCTV in the city centre early Sunday. Police, fire crews and hunters are still searching for the animal, whose last confirmed location was 700 metres from a university campus on Tuesday morning.
gamereactor.euA Japanese city closed all 94 of its primary and middle schools for two consecutive days after a black bear was spotted for the first time inside municipal limits. Officials in Utsunomiya, a city of roughly 500,000 people about 100 km north of Tokyo, ordered the closures after the animal was seen near a residential park on Saturday evening.
The same bear was recorded on CCTV running past two pedestrians in the city centre early Sunday.
Police, fire department personnel and members of the local hunters' association resumed their search on Tuesday. The last confirmed sighting placed the bear about 700 metres from a university campus. A city official said the decision on whether to tranquilise, trap or shoot the animal will depend on its location when found. The bear is estimated to weigh about 100 kg.
That bear remains at large after escaping an electronics factory by opening a window. Japanese authorities recorded more than 50,000 bear sightings and 13 fatal attacks between April 2025 and March 2026. Asiatic black bear numbers in Japan have tripled since 2012, coinciding with reduced hunting and changes in hibernation patterns linked to the country's hottest summer on record in 2025.
" — Governor of Akita Prefecture, 2025 (GB News) Authorities in several prefectures have deployed drones, robot wolves and, in one case, military units to deter the animals.
