With a recent increase in bear sightings and incidents in rural Japan, local communities are taking steps to prepare for such encounters. In the small city of Yaita, officials and residents worked together recently to practice their bear emergency response, acting out a simulation on the campus of a primary school.June 21, 2026, 10 AM ET Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersA man in a bear costume takes part in an emergency response drill simulating a bear intrusion in Yaita, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, June 17, 2026.Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersHunters look at a map and diagram while taking part in a bear emergency response drill in Yaita on June 17, 2026.Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersA man wearing a bear costume takes part in a bear emergency response drill in Yaita.Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersA participant deploys bear spray during the drill.Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersThe simulated bear looks up toward hunters inside a school building.Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersA hunter prepares to take a simulated shot at the fake bear.Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersThe simulated bear is down.Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersHunters and a police officer practice their approach, while poking the simulated bear.Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersA man wearing a bear costume lies on the ground, playing dead after a simulated hunt during a bear emergency response drill in Yaita, Japan, on June 17, 2026.About the AuthorAlan Taylor is a senior editor at The Atlantic.Explore More Topics
Photos: A Bear Emergency Response Drill in Japan
With a recent increase in bear sightings and incidents in rural Japan, local communities are taking steps to prepare for such encounters. In the small city of Yaita, officials and residents worked together recently to practice their bear emergency response, acting out a simulation on the campus of a primary school.
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