TOKYO –
Tokyo authorities carried out the capital’s first emergency taking pictures of a captured bear in Hachioji after an grownup Asiatic black bear was discovered caught in a entice close to a residential space about 8 kilometers from Takao Station.
Police notified Hachioji officers at round 3:30 p.m. on September 28 that the bear had been caught in a entice in Otsumachi, Hachioji, with considered one of its hind legs pinned. Video from the scene confirmed the animal struggling to free itself.
Following its emergency response handbook, the town approved the usage of a firearm to kill the captured bear, marking the primary emergency bear taking pictures carried out in Tokyo.
Otsumachi lies about 8 kilometers from Takao Station, the primary gateway to Mount Takao, considered one of Tokyo’s best-known leisure areas.
Homes are situated near the place the bear was trapped, and about 70 households dwell within the surrounding space, in response to the top of the neighborhood affiliation.
Bear sightings have been reported repeatedly within the space.
Neighborhood affiliation head Yamashita mentioned a bear had beforehand been recorded by a car’s dashboard digicam crossing a street. He mentioned native occasions and group cleansing days have generally been canceled after bear sightings as a result of an grownup bear may be close by.
The space repeatedly experiences harm attributable to deer and wild boars, and traps had been put in to catch these animals. The bear was caught in a kind of traps.
Experts have warned that bears that discovered to acquire meals in populated areas in 2025 may return to the identical areas in 2026.
Takayoshi Yamauchi, an affiliate professor at Iwate University’s Faculty of Agriculture, mentioned beech nut crops had been extraordinarily poor in 2025, notably within the Tohoku area and Hokkaido, prompting giant numbers of bears to descend into populated areas in quest of meals.
He mentioned some bears have develop into closely depending on meals assets in human settlements, with components of inhabited areas successfully turning into a part of their regular vary.
Signs of bears turning into accustomed to folks have additionally been reported elsewhere in Japan.
A bear filmed in August in Shiretoko, Shari, Hokkaido, confirmed little response even when the individual filming referred to as out. The one that recorded the footage mentioned the animal appeared extremely accustomed to people.
On September 10, two bears had been seen strolling slowly alongside a street in Takinoue, Hokkaido, showing largely unconcerned by their environment.
There have additionally been severe assaults involving bears getting into populated areas. In October 2025, an 82-year-old lady was attacked by a bear whereas taking a stroll in Daisen, Akita Prefecture.
Yamauchi warned that the proximity of residential districts in Hachioji means encounters with bears have gotten a practical chance even inside Tokyo.
He mentioned individuals who encounter a bear ought to keep away from shouting, throwing objects or instantly turning their backs and operating, as startling the animal may set off an assault. He suggested folks to maneuver rapidly right into a car or constructing at any time when attainable.