Japanese city closes 94 schools as hunt for stray bear enters third day

Utsunomiya, Japan, a city north of Tokyo, closed all 94 of its public primary and junior high schools on Monday due to a bear sighting that has persisted for three days. The city government made this decision after receiving over ten reports of the bear since Saturday, including one in a shopping arcade. Dozens of hunters, police, and local officials are actively searching for the animal. Authorities have deployed vehicles to alert residents and urge them to remain indoors or in their vehicles. It remains unclear if there is one bear or multiple.

Utsunomiya, Japan, a city of half a million people, has closed all 94 of its primary and secondary schools following the unprecedented sighting of a medium-sized black bear. The animal was first seen near a park on Saturday and subsequently spotted on CCTV in the city center early Sunday morning, and in residential and factory districts through Monday. In response, city officials are urging residents to secure their homes and avoid approaching the bear, while police and hunters have resumed their search. This incident occurs amidst a record high number of bear sightings across Japan this year, with bears increasingly appearing closer to urban areas like Tokyo, leading to a rise in human-bear encounters and injuries.