Japanese authorities have mobilized police, hunters, and drones to search for a brown bear that attacked and injured four people in Fukushima Prefecture. The bear escaped from an electronics factory, reportedly by unlocking and opening a window from the inside by itself. The mayor of Fukushima city described the bear as "extremely intelligent."
Developments in Fukushima city show police, local hunters, and search teams expanding the area to track a roughly one-meter-long wild bear that remains at large as of 5 June. The bear had injured four people in separate attacks.
The incident began early on 2 June when the bear broke into the "Fukushima Steel Works" factory in the Sasakino district, attacking two employees. On Wednesday, CCTV captured the bear chasing and biting a worker in the parking lot of another company. A good Samaritan drove their vehicle toward the bear to save the worker, startling it to flee into an office building. The bear then attacked additional people, including residents at nearby homes, resulting in four injuries ranging in age from 20 to 80. The most severe injury involved a broken facial bone, but fortunately, no deaths occurred.
After the attacks, the bear took refuge inside the electronics company "Oki Simpho-Tech." Employees were astonished to see the bear using its front paws to "turn on a water faucet and drink by itself." Authorities set up bear traps at four entrances and deployed officers armed with tranquilizer guns to surround the area.
At around 22:50 on Wednesday night, police on watch saw the bear climb over a fence to escape. A thorough inspection of the factory found claw marks around a window lock and torn screens. It is believed the bear used its paw to "reach up, unlock the window latch, and push it open to escape on its own."
At an emergency press conference on 4 June, Fukushima city mayor Yuki Baba revealed that officials had fired tranquilizer darts at the bear, but the drugs had no apparent effect. "We saw the bear use its front paw to open a water faucet and drink, and it was also able to open a locked window by itself. I believe this bear is exceptionally clever," he said, expressing regret that they have not been able to capture it.
Additionally, although Japan recently tightened firearm regulations to allow officials to use lethal force against dangerous animals in emergencies, authorities could not use live ammunition in this case due to the presence of large quantities of "flammable materials" inside the electronics factory, which posed an explosion risk.
As a result of the bear's escape, nearby elementary and junior high schools temporarily suspended in-person classes and shifted to online learning, before resuming normal classes on Friday. Schools have increased security measures, locking all lower-floor doors and windows tightly.
Data shows that in the past year, up to March, Japan faced a record surge in bear attacks on people, with 13 fatalities and 238 violent incidents—the highest ever recorded. Experts attribute this mainly to declining rural populations and climate change impacts that reduce bears' natural food sources, forcing them to forage increasingly in urban communities.