Photos: A Bear Emergency Response Drill in Japan

A man in a bear mask and dark clothing crawls in front of a goat pen during a simulated bear emergency.

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.

Hunters wearing hi-viz vests look at a map and diagram.

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.

A man in a bear mask and dark clothing, on all fours, near a path

Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersA man wearing a bear costume takes part in a bear emergency response drill in Yaita.

A person sprays a canister of bear spray.

Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersA participant deploys bear spray during the drill.

A view of several hunters and government workers in a bank of windows, looking outside, seen over the head of someone in a bear mask, in the foreground

Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersThe simulated bear looks up toward hunters inside a school building.

A hunter points a rifle through an open window, with a police officer watching nearby.

Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersA hunter prepares to take a simulated shot at the fake bear.

A man in a bear mask and dark clothing lies face-down on the ground, playing dead.

Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersThe simulated bear is down.

Two hunters and a police officer approach a man in a bear costume who pretends to be dead.

Kim Kyung-Hoon / ReutersHunters and a police officer practice their approach, while poking the simulated bear.

A man wearing a bear costume lies facedown on the ground, playing dead.

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.