Utsunomiya Captures Wild Black Bear After Four Days, Closing 94 Public Schools

Authorities in Utsunomiya, north of Tokyo, captured a wild black bear after it roamed the streets for four days, prompting city officials to close all 94 public schools and urge residents to stay indoors after it was first spotted on Saturday evening.

“Japanese city captures bear that caused fear and school closures TOKYO (AP) — A wandering bear that scared residents of a Japanese city just north of Tokyo was captured on Tuesday after several days of panic during which all schools were closed”

AP News

The bear, estimated to weigh around 100 kilograms (220 pounds), resurfaced again near a private home on Tuesday, and police cordoned off the area before it was shot with a tranquilizer gun, loaded onto a truck and driven away.

AP News

City officials said they would keep city-run schools closed again on Wednesday due to a report that a possible second bear was roaming around, while the BBC said officials believed there was only one bear but were investigating to be safe.

The operation also followed dozens of sightings reported near a library, in a shopping arcade, at a university campus and at a market, and the search effort involved helicopters, police, hunters and city officials.

The bear scare led Utsunomiya officials to issue bear warnings via social media and dispatch a public announcement vehicle urging residents to take shelter inside buildings and vehicles if they encounter a bear, and to make sure to lock doors and windows and not to put out garbage at night.

On Tuesday afternoon, city official Ryuhei Irie said the bear was found on a private property and shot by a veterinarian with a tranquilizer gun, and the AP reported that nobody was injured.

BBC

Issei Okabe, a 37-year-old house painter who lives in an apartment next to the house where the bear was caught, told AFP he was "so relieved," saying "This is the first time I heard of a wild bear in Utsunomiya."

The BBC also described how the bear was spotted earlier in the day at a university campus, causing cancellations of all classes, and said the unprecedented sighting forced the closure of all 94 public primary and middle schools.

The capture capped a broader pattern of bear-human conflict in Japan, with the DW report noting that a black bear attack in a residential area of Fukushima last week left at least four people injured and that the bear is still at large.

“Japan: A wild Asian black bear captured at the end of a chase that captivated the country”

Boursorama

Japan’s government set up a special task force in response to a spike in bear attacks, and the DW report said a record 13 people were killed by bears in Japan last year while the government estimates Japan’s bear population totals around 57,800.

The BBC added that attacks reached record levels in 2025 with 238 bear attack victims reported to the environment ministry, including 13 deaths, and said officials believed there were possibly two bears in Utsunomiya.

In the meantime, the BBC reported that Japan’s ministerial task force and emergency response measures were introduced earlier this year, while it also described technology efforts such as drones and a solar-powered robotic wolf called the "Super Monster Wolf" that the company said had received dozens of orders in 2026.