Japanese city suspends 94 schools after first-ever bear sighting

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 kilometre 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.