Runaway bear forces dozens of schools to close after four people attacked in Japanese city

A runaway bear has forced almost 100 schools to close after four people were attacked in a Japanese city. Utsunomiya, in the north of Japan's Kanto region, have closed all 94 primary and middle schools for two days in a row after the city had its first ever bear sighting.The bear - estimated to weigh about 100 kilogrammes, was first seen in a residential area near a park on Saturday evening.The bear's whereabouts remain unknown, with the last sighting on Tuesday morning, about 700 metres from a university campus, Utsunomiya authorities said. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say A city official said a group including municipal and prefectural staff, the fire department and members of the hunter's association were continuing the hunt for the bear.The decision to tranquilise, shoot, or trap the bear will depend on where it is found, the official added.The sighting follows a bear attack in a nearby city which left four people injured, just the latest in a sharp rise of bear appearances since the summer of 2025.The Fukushima incident left one woman with severe injuries and three other with minor injuries, with the bear still on the loose after eluding Japanese authorities.It appeared to be holed up inside an electronics factory but managed to evade capture, seemingly by opening a window and fleeing under the cover of night.After its escape, Fukushima Mayor Yuki Baba said authorities believed the bear to be extremely intelligent.Attempts to immobilise the bear with tranquiliser darts failed.And further efforts to lure it with food traps were unsuccessful as the bear was able to eat the fruit and honey baits without getting caught, according to Japanese media.LATEST ANIMAL INCIDENTS:Great white shark spotted underwater in Mediterranean Sea for the first time everShark attack horror as surfer mauled by massive beast before being drawn underwaterBritons urged to ‘stay vigilant’ over toxic garden-dwelling caterpillar after wave of sightingsAuthorities turned off the lights within the factory in an attempt to force the bear to the traps, but it escaped through a window which it is believed to have unlatched on its own.Permission to shoot the bear had been authorised, but police did not take any shots over concerns of flammable material inside the factory.It's not that we neglected our response efforts, but we are left with regret, Mr Baba said of the attempts to capture the bear.Drones and armed police were scanning the area for the bear as of last week.Asiatic black bears are considered a vulnerable species globally, but in Japan their numbers have tripled since 2012, helped by a decline in hunting.Bear attacks have risen as a result, with record number of 13 people killed by the animals between April 2025 and March 2026 and more than 50,000 sightings have been recorded.Desperate Japanese residents have even turned to robot wolves with flashing red eyes, loud growls and howling sounds in order to scare off the predators.The military was deployed to Akita in 2025 after the body of a woman in her 80s was found in a ditch.In his 2025 plea, the Governor of Akita Prefecture Kenta Suzuki said: The lives of our citizens cannot be protected without the help of the Self-Defence Forces.Attacks have historically increased in autumn, but experts believe Japan's hottest summer on record in 2025 has disrupted the beast's hibernation patterns and food supply.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter