Share to ClassroomJapan City Closes Schools Over Bear
A Japanese city closed all 94 schools. A bear was seen there for the first time. The black bear is about one metre long. It first appeared near a park on Saturday. Cameras filmed it running through the city centre. It was also seen near homes on Monday. The city is 100 km north of Tokyo. Officials told people to stay inside.
Japan has had about 50,000 bear sightings this year. Most are in the north-east. Last week, a bear in Fukushima hurt four people. Experts say the bears' main food, acorns, did not grow well. So bears come into towns to find food.
Bear attacks in Japan are rising. More people are hurt or killed each year. Some cities test cameras with AI to follow bears. AI means artificial intelligence. About 12,000 to 42,000 black bears live on Honshu. About 12,000 brown bears live on Hokkaido.
