Bear captured in Japan after causing school closures

The animal was discovered in the bushes of a house in the city, in a densely populated area near a train station.

Municipal officials and local hunters managed to fire three tranquilizer darts at the animal, which was captured at around 3:45 pm (local time, 3:45 am Brasília), according to NHK.

The search for the bear had forced authorities to keep 94 primary and secondary schools closed since Monday, while sightings were recorded continuously, albeit without incident.

The animal first appeared in the city on June 6 and has since been spotted in different spots over the past few days.

The incident adds to the search being carried out in the city of Fukushima (northeast of the country), where a bear recently injured four people.

During this year, four deaths from bear attacks have been recorded in Japan, according to data from authorities, in addition to several sightings and incidents.

The archipelago recorded record numbers of sightings in 2025 – more than 50,000. During this period, 13 deaths from bear attacks were confirmed, in addition to 238 injuries.