THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 23, 2025 at 17:59 JST
MORIOKA--A black bear brought turmoil to the bustling downtown district around the city hall here during the morning commute on Oct. 23.
The animal spent around four hours in the area, the site of the Iwate prefectural office, apartment buildings, shops and schools, before taking off.
No injuries have been reported.
“A bear has appeared along the Nakatsugawa river behind the city hall,” a police officer called out shortly before 8 a.m. “Do not walk along the river.”
The city government also posted a warning on social media: “The surrounding area is extremely dangerous. Do not approach the sighting location under any circumstances.”
The city’s board of education alerted local elementary and junior high schools.
Harumi Uwano, 60, photographed the bear walking under a bridge about 400 meters from the city hall using her smartphone.
“I was born and raised in Morioka, but this is the first time I’ve seen a bear this far downtown,” she said. “I always thought this was a safe area.”
Shortly after 6 a.m., the bear was spotted repeatedly along the banks of the Nakatsugawa river.
A large contingent of police officers, including the local police chief, massed to deal with the situation, creating a tense atmosphere.
The bear gradually moved upstream, using the riverside foliage for cover and occasionally peering out.
“Hey! Hey!” A police officer shouted when the bear tried to climb up the riverbank.
Also heard was a sharp clanging of police batons striking the metal railings of a bridge to scare the animal into moving away.
The bear dashed along the riverbank and swam in the river as it turned tail and fled. It eventually disappeared around 10 a.m.
Nationwide fatalities from bear attacks had already reached nine in the current fiscal year as of Oct. 22, surpassing the record of six in fiscal 2023, according to the Environment Ministry.
As of the end of September, the number of people mauled by bears stood at 108, on par with the 109 recorded for the corresponding period in fiscal 2023.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
A bear is seen along the Nakatsugawa river in central Morioka on the morning of Oct. 23. (Tatsuro Sakata)
