Bear Roams Streets in Japan’s Iwate Pref. For 2 Hours; Police Chase Animal Warning People to Be Careful

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:38 JST, June 28, 2025

MORIOKA — A bear roamed through an urban area for about two hours in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, on Friday morning, police said. No injuries or property damage were reported.

According to Kitakami Police Station, patrolling police officers spotted the adult bear running along the road at about 9:10 a.m. The animal then ran through residential and commercial areas, the grounds of a high school ground and the parking lot of city hall before disappearing into the woods along a riverbank.

The police station received multiple reports of bear sightings, and police cars and city government vehicles followed them up, using a microphone to warn people not to approach the bear.