Almost 100 schools had to shut down due to a bear roaming the city streets and evading capture. Authorities in Utsunomiya, located approximately 60 miles north of Tokyo, instructed students to stay home following multiple sightings of a brown bear during the weekend.
The bear, measuring about one meter in length, was initially seen near a park on Saturday. Early Sunday, CCTV footage captured it running in front of two surprised young men in the city center. Later in the day, the bear reappeared in residential areas and was spotted in an industrial estate about a mile and a half from downtown early Monday morning.
This marked the first instance of a bear sighting in the city. Search efforts, involving police and a local hunting group, resumed in the morning. Residents were advised to take refuge in nearby buildings if they encountered the bear, secure doors and windows, and avoid leaving out trash at night to prevent attracting the animal to their homes.
Loudspeaker-equipped vehicles were deployed across the city to alert residents. Speculation arose that the bear might be hiding in bushes and was anticipated to resurface after sunset. As a precaution, all 94 primary and junior high schools in the region closed, affecting a total of 36,000 students. Additionally, eight high schools with 3,700 students urged parents to keep their children at home. This measure was taken following a previous incident where an intelligent bear caused injuries to four individuals.
Emergency services responded to a call from a steel factory in the Sasakino district of Fukushima in northeastern Japan, where the bear had entered and attacked two employees before escaping through a window.
Surveillance footage depicted the bear approaching a man in his 20s at the factory gates, throwing him to the ground as he attempted to flee, then assaulting a second man in his 60s at another location. Inside the facility, the bear was observed using its paws to turn on a water tap for a drink. The bear’s whereabouts over the weekend remained unknown.
Japan is facing a rise in bear sightings and interactions due to environmental changes and a declining rural population. Climate variations impacting food sources have driven bears to venture further in search of sustenance. Abandoned farmlands and neglected orchards have eliminated the natural barrier between wilderness and populated areas. Moreover, bears growing up without fear of humans are enticed by easily accessible food sources like unharvested fruits, pet food, and household waste.
The Environment Ministry reported a record 13 fatalities in over 230 bear attacks in 2025, a significant increase from the previous decade’s average of three deaths per year.