The government will survey bear habitats in Niigata and the Tohoku region. The effort seeks to improve understanding of bear behavior over wide areas where the animals often cross prefectural borders.
The Environment Ministry will lead the surveys to gain detailed insight into bear ecology.
Because bears move across multiple prefectures, localized approaches have proved insufficient.
The findings are expected to inform future management measures.
Following record bear sightings in 2025 and unusual winter activity, Japan's Tohoku municipalities are issuing spring warnings as bears emerge from hibernation, urging residents not to leave food or garbage outside.
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Japan plans to start a Minamata disease survey on residents along the Shiranui Sea coast in Kumamoto and Kagoshima prefectures as early as this year. The survey marks the first under a special law that took effect in 2009.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, and their daughter Princess Aiko will visit Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures in Tohoku to mark 15 years since the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. The Imperial Household Agency announced the trip on February 26, 2026, with visits to Iwate and Miyagi on March 25-26 and Fukushima on April 6-7 to inspect reconstruction progress and meet affected residents. This will be Princess Aiko's first visit to the three prefectures.
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Tourist sites in Japan's Tohoku and Hokkaido regions are preparing to evacuate visitors, including foreigners unfamiliar with local geography, following Monday's magnitude 7.7 earthquake. Tsunami warnings were issued but later lifted, with an advisory urging readiness for aftershocks until April 27. Staff at key attractions are trained and equipped to guide evacuations.