News 2 Black Bears Sakata City, Yamagata Dec 16, 2025, 09:00 AM

Description

Around 09:00 on 2025-12-16, a mother bear and cub appeared at a printing company in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture; they left paw and toe marks on the glass and lingered in the courtyard for about 5–10 minutes before moving toward the parking lot. The next morning at about 09:00 a cub presumed to have been hit by a car was found on the roadside; the city believes it is the same individual. The mother's whereabouts are unknown and warnings have been issued.

Note: Official sources provide information in Japanese only. This description has been machine translated for your convenience.

Summary

On a snowy morning, a mother bear and her cub appeared at a printing company in Sakata City, peering at their reflections in mirror-like glass and wandering in the courtyard for several minutes. About 20 minutes after the sighting there were further reports nearby, and the next day a cub presumed to have been struck by a car was found on the roadside; the city believes it is the same animal and is warning residents while the mother’s whereabouts remain unknown.

Bear Type

Black Bear

Number of Bears

2

Provider Type

News

Date & Time

Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 09:00 AM

Address

Coordinates

38.914781, 139.836644

Sources