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. A man in a bear costume takes part in an emergency-response drill simulating a bear intrusion in Yaita, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, June 17, 2026.