First-ever bear sighting in Japanese city triggers suspensions at 94 schools

TOKYO – The Japanese city of Utsunomiya has suspended all 94 of the primary and middle schools ​that it operates on Monday after its ‌first-ever bear sighting, a municipal official said.The city of half a million residents, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Tokyo, said ​the bear was first seen in a residential ​area near a park on Saturday evening.It ⁠remains at large after the last sighting early ​Monday morning about half a kilometer from a ​middle school.Bear attacks, including in urban areas, have been on the rise in Japan, prompting the government to set up a ​task force this year to reduce casualties.Last week, ​a bear attack in the northeastern city of Fukushima left ‌at least four people injured. Security footage from Fukushima Steel Works shows a black bear chasing a worker by the entrance of the factory and throwing him to ​the ground.Asiatic black ​bears are ⁠listed as a vulnerable species globally, but their numbers are estimated to have tripled ​in Japan since 2012, helped by ​a decline ⁠in hunting.Experts say climate change has reduced harvests of bears’ natural food like acorns and beechnuts, while ⁠the ​depopulation of rural areas and the ​proliferation of abandoned farmland have emboldened them to seek food near ​human settlements....