- Bear roaming Utsunomiya for three days prompted closure of 94 schools as a precaution
- Authorities launched a large search involving hunters, police, and local officials in the city
- Bear estimated about one metre long, multiple sightings reported since Saturday in Utsunomiya
A bear roaming the streets of a Japanese city for three days forced authorities to shut nearly 100 schools on Monday as hunters, police and local officials launched a major search operation.
The animal was spotted multiple times across Utsunomiya, a city north of Tokyo with a population of around 510,000.
Residents reported sightings near homes, a shopping arcade, a park and even schools, prompting officials to close all 94 public primary and junior high schools as a precaution.
"We have vehicles out to areas where a bear was seen to make people aware and to urge people to stay indoors or in vehicles," a city official told news agency AFP. Dozens of hunters, police and local officials have been looking for the animal, the official added.
Authorities said the bear was first seen on Saturday and has since been spotted in several parts of the city. They have estimated the bear to be around one metre (three feet) long, however It remains unclear whether residents are reporting the same bear or more than one animal.
The latest incident comes days after a bear injured four people in Fukushima. CCTV camera footage from a factory in the city showed a black bear chasing a worker and knocking him to the ground.
Fukushima City Mayor Yuki Baba said the bear was seen turning on a faucet to drink water and appeared capable of opening a locked window by itself. He added that he believed it was an extremely intelligent bear.
Experts say climate change has reduced supplies of natural food sources such as acorns and beechnuts, pushing hungry bears closer to towns and cities. The decline of rural populations and the spread of abandoned farmland have also made it easier for the animals to venture into human settlements.
Japanese authorities recently amended the country's strict gun laws to allow firearms to be used in residential areas during emergencies because of an increase in bear attacks on humans.
Japan has witnessed a sharp rise in bear encounters in recent years, with sightings spreading into urban areas. More than 50,000 sightings were recorded nationwide in the past year, while 13 people were killed in bear attacks in 2024 - the highest number on record.
