Bear Cub Enters Underground Parking Lot of Bank in Morioka

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:10 JST, October 28, 2025

MORIOKA — A bear cub was found to have entered the underground parking lot of a bank in Morioka early Tuesday morning, causing an uproar in the neighborhood.

The animal was later tranquilized with a blowgun and captured.

Security guards at the Bank of Iwate’s head office reported to police around 6:45 a.m. that the bear cub had entered the parking lot of the bank, which is located in a district that includes the prefectural government office and courts.

Police blocked the parking lot’s exits and entrances. About three and a half hours later, the bear was tranquilized by a veterinarian with a blowgun and captured.

The bank was open as usual, and no one was injured.

The city’s board of education said that nine elementary and junior high schools in the area asked parents to accompany their children on their way to school.

City government officials are calling on people to stay alert and have increased patrols with information vehicles. The city government has also distributed bear safety information on social media.