Japanese city closes nearly 100 schools after bear sightings as post-hibernation attacks rise

By Jessie Yeung, Junko Ogura, CNN

(CNN) — One Japanese city is taking no chances after a series of bear sightings this week, closing nearly 100 schools as officials scour the town, and as attacks take place elsewhere in the country.

Utsunomiya City, home to about half a million residents north of Tokyo, recorded its first recent bear sighting on Saturday, according to the city’s Wildlife Management Group.

A day later, a bear was spotted on the grounds of a junior high school, and one was captured on security cameras in a downtown shopping district that night.

Since then, there have been sightings at various locations across the city, the wildlife group said – with police officers reportedly confirming a bear’s presence again on Monday night.

All public elementary and junior high schools in the city were closed starting Monday, according to the city board of education. It’s not yet clear whether they will reopen later in the week.

Police officers and members of the local hunting association are now patrolling the city and preparing to capture the bear, or bears, on the loose. It’s not yet known whether all the sightings are of one bear, or if there are more in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, officials have urged residents to take precautions such as locking their doors and windows to prevent bears entering their homes, and to avoid putting their trash out at night.

Japan has long been battling a growing bear problem with deadly attacks reached record levels last fall. It became a national emergency, prompting authorities to send military troops to hard-hit areas, and international governments to issue travel advisories for Japan. Videos went viral of bears rummaging through supermarket aisles and roaming school grounds, setting local communities on edge.

The surge in attacks has been fueled by several factors. The bear population has skyrocketed amid a decline in hunting; climate change has caused poor harvests, pushing bears to seek food elsewhere; and the dwindling number of people living in rural towns allow bears to enter human-inhabited areas more easily.

After peaking toward the end of the year, cases of reported attacks dropped in early 2026 during hibernation season. But with the weather warming as Japan has entered summer, the bears have emerged from their slumber – and are heading back into cities and towns. Just last week on June 2, a bear attack injured four people at a steel factory in Fukushima, about 170 kilometers (105 miles) from Utsunomiya.

Three people were killed and 20 more people were attacked by bears across at least nine prefectures between April and June 2, according to public broadcaster NHK. Several of the incidents took place in the mountains, with some people injured while out foraging for wild plants and vegetables.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.