Main bear prevention measures taken by Hanamaki City (excerpts)

● Providing information to nearby schools and conducting vigilance patrols If there is a report of a bear sighting within the city, city officials will first head to the scene to confirm the situation, regardless of whether it is late at night, early in the morning, or on a holiday.
We also work with relevant organizations, such as the police, fire department, and Hanamaki City Harmful Bird and Animal Damage Control Team, to take the following measures:

・Providing information to nearby childcare facilities, after-school clubs, schools, neighborhood associations, and other neighboring facilities ・Wide-area patrols, posting guards on school routes, etc. (If a bear is spotted on a school route, etc., we will not post guards, but will ask parents to drive their children to and from school, as a general rule), and public relations activities using a public relations vehicle ・Disseminating information via the city's website, social media (LINE, Facebook, X), Iwate Mobile Mail, FM Hanamaki, Towa Cable Broadcasting, etc.

● Strengthening security measures with AI cameras and grass cutting As a new initiative to combat bears starting in fiscal year 2024, we are strengthening security measures by installing AI (artificial intelligence) cameras in locations thought to be routes of bears entering urban areas from the mountains.
When an AI camera detects a bear, the captured image is automatically sent to the smartphone of a city official immediately, allowing for the identification of the bear's entry route into the city, as well as early detection and removal if the bear does enter the city. The city owns 60 AI cameras, with 54 installed as of July 2025. The remaining 6 are being kept in storage in case of any new bear sightings.

Additionally, experts believe that bears travel down from the mountains to villages by following waterways. Therefore, the city has requested cooperation from the national and prefectural governments to cut down trees along riverbanks that are thought to be bear migration routes and in bushes where bears may hide. The city is also cutting grass along rivers, riverbanks, and river terraces.

( Quoted from the Hanamaki City website )