Schools in Tokyo suburb to get bear sprays

A Tokyo suburb has announced an emergency spending plan to buy 700 anti-bear sprays for schools and community organisations, the local government said, as the animals increasingly encroach into built-up areas around Japan.

Japan saw a record 13 people killed by bears last fiscal year, according to the Environment Ministry, and five more fatalities and 20 people injured between April 1 and May 30 this year.

Hachioji is on the outskirts of the vast Japanese capital region and at weekends draws Tokyoites to its popular hiking trails into the nearby forested mountains.

Eleven sightings or signs of bears have been reported there since April, with a motion-activated camera capturing footage of a black bear around a residence on April 29, broadcaster NHK reported.

The city will spend ¥15mil (RM383,735) on sprays, movable electric fences and sound deterrent devices, a local government spokesman said on Wednesday.

It is also planning to draft an action plan to call in hunters in case bears appear in local neighbourhoods. — AFP