Police officers and members of the local hunting association patrol the city
Nearly 100 schools in the northern Japanese city of Utsunomiya remained closed after the bear sighting. The international media reported it.
Police officers and members of the local hunting association are patrolling the city preparing to catch the fleeing animals that have emerged from hibernation.
In fact, it is not yet known whether all the sightings refer to a single bear or whether there are others nearby.
According to the city’s Wildlife Management Group, the first sighting occurred on Saturday. The next day, it was spotted on a middle school playground, and another was caught on security cameras in a downtown shopping district that same night. Since then, there have been sightings in several areas of the city and police reportedly confirmed the presence of a bear again on Monday evening.
Japan has long been battling this problem, with deadly attacks causing 13 deaths in 2025. It has become a national emergency, prompting authorities to send military troops to the hardest-hit areas. Authorities urged residents to take precautions such as locking doors and windows to prevent bears from entering their homes and to avoid placing trash outside at night.
