Bear Sightings Hamper School Activities in Japan

Tokyo, May 26 (Jiji Press)--Bear sightings have led to temporary closures and restricted outdoor activities at schools in Japan, with local education boards struggling over how to continue offering classes while ensuring safety of students.

In Saeki Ward of the western city of Hiroshima on May 13-14, multiple emergency calls were made to police reporting sightings of bears in residential areas. According to sources including the city's board of education, a total of at least 11 elementary, junior high and high schools in the city were closed May 14.

"We're not accustomed to dealing with bears in residential areas," an official of the board said. "Still, it's not realistic to close all schools just because there was a bear sighting report," the official also said. "School principals and others are worried over what to do."

"I didn't expect (a bear) to appear in a populated area like this," said Seiko Yamashita, principal of Nagashima Elementary School in the city of Aomori, the capital of the namesake northeastern prefecture.

There was a report that a bear was spotted near the school, located close to the Aomori prefectural government building, in the small hours of May 15, and a security camera installed at the school's main entrance showed an image of a bear measuring about 150 centimeters in length walking in front of the gatepost.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]