Japan tells schools how to keep children safe from bears

Bears have hurt people in many parts of Japan this year. On October 30, 2025, Japan's Ministry^*1 of Education sent a notice to boards of education^*2 in the country's prefectures^*3 and big cities. The notice explains how schools can keep children safe when bears come near. The Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare helped with it.

The notice asks schools to check the latest information about bears in their area. Schools should also look at the roads that children use to walk to school. If a bear has been seen nearby, schools should change these roads. When a bear appears, schools need a plan to keep children safe. They also need a way to contact people quickly. Schools should add bears to their emergency plans, and they should tell students and teachers to be careful.

The ministry also asks schools to work with the police and with the local offices that deal with wild animals.

To help schools, the notice points to the Ministry of the Environment's new guide for dealing with bears. It also points to guides from local governments. Hokkaido, a large island in the north of Japan, has a guide for emergencies. The cities of Hanamaki and Oga have their own guides for bears. The ministry asks schools to use these guides when they make their plans.

1. *1 Ministry: a part of a country's government that looks after one area, such as schools or health
2. *2 boards of education: the groups of people who run the public schools in an area
3. *3 prefectures: the large areas that Japan is divided into, like states