Bear sightings in western Tokyo have become alarming enough that some schools are now treating them as a campus safety threat.
News On Japan reported that sightings in Hachioji involving a mother bear and cub have pushed nearby schools to hand out "bear bells" and run drills for a possible animal intrusion.
Tokyo authorities are reacting to repeated bear sightings and possible attacks as animals usually associated with remote mountain zones are appearing closer to residential neighborhoods.
A utility-pole sensor camera recorded a bear moving through Hachioji late at night, about 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). News On Japan said the neighborhood is close to wooded land leading toward Mount Takao, even though it is ringed by homes and schools.
Another May 17 sighting in the city, about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the first, appeared to show a mother bear and cub. Farmers and residents were especially rattled by camera images that seemed to show two dark figures moving together through dense vegetation, the report said.
The concern is not limited to Tokyo. Recent reports also placed bears near a soccer ground in Nagano and in the parking lot of a commercial complex in Aomori City. In nearby Okutama, a Russian man believed to be in his 30s was seriously injured in a May 17 bear attack while hiking, and police are examining whether a bear also played a role in damage to human remains found days later.
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"I knew bears lived in the mountains around Takao, but I never imagined they would come this far into town," said the hunter who installed the camera in Hachioji.
The sightings suggest that bears may be traveling deeper into populated areas, increasing the odds of dangerous encounters. Experts cited in the report pointed to shrinking natural food supplies, habitat changes, and growing overlap between wildlife territory and residential development as possible reasons.
Bears that enter neighborhoods may become stressed, disoriented, or more likely to react defensively, while residents may have little idea how to respond safely in the moment during an encounter.
Officials in Hachioji have started installing bear traps and increasing patrols in areas where the animals were seen. Schools nearby are also taking immediate precautions.
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At one junior high school, students clipped city-issued "bear bells" onto their bags to use sound as a bear deterrent. The school also replaced a scheduled earthquake drill with a bear-intrusion exercise, where students practiced staying quiet and using desks and chairs to form barricades, the report said.
One student told News On Japan: "We've been told not to turn our backs and to move away calmly, but I don't know if I could actually stay calm if I suddenly faced a bear."
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