Japan's Utsunomiya closes all its 94 schools after first-ever chilling sighting

A Japanese city has suspended all its primary and secondary schools after a bear was spotted in a residential area for the first time ever. A total of 94 schools were closed in Utsunomiya, a city of half a million people 62 miles north of Tokyo, as officials look for a black bear that was seen near a park in the city on Saturday.

CCTV showed the bear running in front of two young men in the city centre on Sunday, when the animal was also seen in residential areas during the day. There were also sightings near a factory district on Monday. Emergency services are now urging residents to keep their doors and windows closed and not to approach the bear if they see it.

Last week, police were also searching for an “extremely intelligent” bear, which attacked four people after apparently evading capture by unlocking a window. Police and fire department officials rushed to the Sasakino district of Fukushima in northeastern Japan after receiving an emergency call from the Fukushima Steel Works reporting bear attacks on two employees earlier this week.

Security camera footage showed a black bear appearing and chasing an employee near the entrance. A man in his 20s tried to flee, but the bear threw him to the ground. It then moved into the compound and injured a second male employee in his 60s.

The bear later injured a third person, a male employee in his 60s, at a separate company. A woman in her 80s who lives in the neighbourhood was also attacked and injured, the Fukushima City Fire Department said.

This comes as the Japanese government in March estimated the overall bear population in the country to be at around 57,800. Officials have adopted a road map of bear population management, calling for systematic culling. Under the plan, the number of bear control staff will triple to 2,500 within five years, while the number of bear traps will double.

Other bear sightings were also reported recently in Tokyo’s western suburbs, including the hiking area of Okutama. Park officials have set up additional traps and launched bear alerts on social media.

The government has stepped up a public awareness campaign, urging hikers and mushroom hunters to check notifications about bear sightings and avoid outdoor activity in the early morning and evening when bears are active.