The city of Utsunomiya, about 100 kilometers north of Tokyo, closed all 94 of its schools on Monday after its first recorded bear sighting. The animal was first spotted in a residential area near a park on Saturday and remains at large. Additional sightings were reported on Sunday, with the most recent confirmed sighting occurring early Monday about half a kilometer from a junior high school.
Public Address Vehicles Deployed in Utsunomiya After Bear Sightings
Officials have urged residents to seek shelter in nearby buildings if they encounter the bear. They are also being advised to keep windows and doors securely locked and to avoid putting garbage out in the evening, which could attract wildlife. Public address vehicles have been deployed across the city to warn residents, while authorities resumed their search for the animal on Monday morning.
The incident comes amid growing concern over bear encounters in Japan. In its annual environment white paper released on Friday, the government described bears as a “serious threat to public safety and peace.” The report said more than 50,000 bear sightings were recorded nationwide in the year to March 2026, while bear attacks injured or killed 238 people during the same period.
Bear Attacks Four People in Fukushima
Three people have died in bear attacks since April and more than 20 have been injured. Last week, four people were hurt after a bear rampaged through Fukushima’s Sasakino district. The animal remained active after being struck by a tranquilizer dart and later escaped from an electronics factory after apparently unlatching a window. Authorities launched a drone search for the bear, while local schools switched to online classes.
Last year, the revised Wildlife Protection, Control and Hunting Management Act went into effect, allowing for the “emergency shootings” of bears and other potentially dangerous animals in populated areas under certain conditions. In the past, animal shootings were generally banned in public spaces. Under the amended legislation, a weapon can be used on a threatening animal more freely if a city or town mayor deems it “necessary.”
