Bears have become a major source of fear in Japan. So far this year, four people have died in attacks by these wild animals. Educational institutions in Utsunomiya, a city near Tokyo, have remained closed for two days due to bear sightings in the area.
These wild animals have been active since waking from hibernation last April. Last Tuesday, a 73-year-old woman was killed in a bear attack in a mountainous forest near Akita City in northeastern Japan. Her death brought the total number of fatalities from bear attacks in the current fiscal year to four.
While bear sightings were previously largely confined to mountainous regions, they are now becoming increasingly common in urban areas. Asian black bears have also become active in the vicinity of the capital, Tokyo.
Recently, bears have been spotted multiple times in the city center and residential areas of Utsunomiya. These sightings were even captured on CCTV cameras. City authorities have described the presence of bears in the city center as unprecedented.
Citing safety concerns, all educational institutions in the city were closed yesterday, Monday, and remained shut today. Alongside issuing warnings to residents, police and local hunters launched a search operation. A search was conducted yesterday evening after reports from locals about a bear roaming in a forest adjacent to a junior high school, but the animal could not be located.
Meanwhile, Japanese media reported sightings of a bear near the Utsunomiya University campus in the city’s Minemachi area today.
According to the latest reports, a bear was discovered this afternoon hiding in the bushes of a densely populated residential area in Utsunomiya. Authorities fired a tranquilizer dart at the animal and successfully captured it around 3:45 PM. Officials believe this is the same bear that had been spotted at various locations across the city. Its capture has brought some relief to the anxious residents.
About a week ago, four people were injured in a bear attack in Fukushima City. The bear even entered a room within the factory of the local electronics manufacturer, Oki Sympho-Tech. Authorities subsequently barricaded the factory entrances.
According to media reports, the bear was shot with a tranquilizer dart rather than a lethal bullet because the company’s office contained flammable materials; however, the tranquilizer proved ineffective. Attempts to lure the animal into a trap baited with honey and fruit also failed, as the bear managed to eat the food while avoiding the trap itself. The animal was even observed turning on a water tap to drink. Eventually, the bear opened a window on its own and escaped.
Authorities were astonished by the bear’s intelligence. Fukushima Mayor Yuki Baba described the animal as “highly intelligent” and apologized to residents for the failure to capture it.
An annual government report released last Friday noted that bears have become a “serious threat” to public safety and peace in Japan. In the fiscal year ending last March, there were over 50,000 bear sightings nationwide—nearly double the figure from the previous period—and 13 people died in bear attacks.
Although the Asian black bear is listed as an endangered species globally, its population in Japan is estimated to have tripled since 2012. In response to this situation, the government began authorizing local municipalities last September to hunt bears in residential areas when deemed necessary.
