Japan is grappling with an uptick in bear encounters. A town north of Tokyo closed nearly 100 schools this week after multiple bear sightings, while another incident saw a bear attack four people, with the animal displaying surprising problem-solving by opening a water tap and unlatching a window to escape a trapped building. According to France 24, experts like Kazuhiko Maita from the Institute for Asian Black Bear Research and Preservation—who has survived nine bear attacks himself—are investigating whether these encounters signal a genuine increase in public safety threats.

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