A city north of Tokyo has suspended classes at all 94 of its primary and middle schools after its first-ever reported bear sighting, amid growing concern over increasing encounters between bears and people across Japan.
Officials in Utsunomiya, a city of around 500,000 people about 100 kilometres north of the capital, said a bear was first spotted in a residential area near a park on Saturday evening.
The animal remained at large on Monday (8 June). Its most recent sighting was reported early that morning, around half a kilometre from a local middle school.
In response, city authorities suspended classes at all municipally operated primary and middle schools as a precaution.
The sighting comes as Japan experiences a growing number of bear incidents, including in urban areas.
Last week, at least four people were injured in a bear attack in the north-eastern city of Fukushima. Security footage from Fukushima Steel Works showed a black bear chasing a worker near a factory entrance and knocking him to the ground.
The increase in encounters has prompted the Japanese government to establish a task force this year aimed at reducing casualties and improving responses to bear-related incidents.
Experts say several factors are driving bears closer to towns and cities.
Climate change has reduced the availability of natural food sources such as acorns and beechnuts, making it harder for bears to find food in the wild.
At the same time, Japan's declining rural population and the spread of abandoned farmland have created conditions that allow bears to move more easily towards human settlements.
Although Asiatic black bears are classified as a vulnerable species globally, their population in Japan is estimated to have tripled since 2012, helped in part by a decline in hunting.
For residents of Utsunomiya, the unexpected visitor has brought daily life to a halt as authorities continue efforts to locate the bear and ensure public safety.
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