Nearly 100 schools closed in Japan city as bear roams streets

A bear roaming the streets of a Japanese city for three days forced the closure of nearly 100 schools Monday, as dozens of hunters and officials searched for the animal.

The city government of Utsunomiya, north of Tokyo, closed all 94 public primary and junior high schools in the area after receiving more than 10 reports of bear sightings since Saturday -- including in a shopping arcade.

"We have vehicles out to areas where a bear was seen to make people aware and to urge people to stay indoors or in vehicles," a city official told AFP, adding that dozens of hunters, police and local officials have been looking for the animal.

It was not clear whether there is one bear or more, he said, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity.

In recent years, Japan has seen an increasing number of bear sightings and attacks, especially in urban areas.

A record 13 people were killed by bears in Japan last year, and there has been a jump in encounters as the animals emerge hungry from hibernation.

In the last year to March, bear sightings nationwide topped 50,000 -- more than double the previous record set two years earlier, according to official data.

In Utsunomiya, a regional capital and home to 510,000 residents, there were just two unconfirmed bear sightings in the previous year.

The bear now being hunted was first spotted Saturday morning, north of the city centre, and was described as being around one metre (three feet) long.

A series of sightings followed, including in a residential neighbourhood that day, at a shopping arcade on Sunday, and at a park, a high school and a junior school. Early Monday, residents spotted a bear close to a wholesale market, the city official said.