A man in a bear costume chased residents in Japan during a safety drill conducted following a spate of attacks and sightings.
Demonstrations on how to scare off the animals were held in Tochigi Prefecture, approximately 100 km north of Tokyo.
It came after a 52-year-old newspaper delivery man was mauled to death by a bear in Fukushima, southern Hokkaido, earlier this month.
There have been three sightings of wild bears reported this year in Tochigi Prefecture, according to local police. Japanese public broadcaster NHK says more than 650 bear sightings have been reported in Akita since the start of July.
