Bear sighting forces school closures in Japanese city of Ucunomija

The city of Ucunomija, about 100 km north of Tokyo with around half a million residents, halted classes at all 94 elementary and secondary schools after a black bear was spotted on city streets. Officials said the bear, the first seen in a residential area near a park, remains at large about 500 m from a middle school. Urban bear encounters have been rising across Japan, prompting the government to set up a task force to curb casualties. Recent incidents include a June attack in Fukushima that injured at least four people. Experts attribute the increase to a tripling of black‑bear numbers since 2012, driven by reduced hunting, climate‑related loss of natural food, and depopulation of rural zones that pushes bears toward human settlements.