Bears attacked multiple people in and near Akita Prefecture on Oct. 19, including at a central city bus stop and the entrance to a hospital in heavily populated areas.
The second half of unified local elections kicked off on April 16, and the races for nearly 30 percent of mayoral posts and around 5 percent of city assemblies have already been decided.
This restaurant in Nagano city posts a sign saying it would be closed between April 2 and 9. (Daisuke Shimizu)
Small regional cities across Japan are confronting a rebound in daily COVID-19 cases just like Tokyo, Osaka and other major urban centers where a state of emergency was recently in effect.
The cities in question also must grapple with their limited capacity to provide hospital beds for patients as well as treatment.
As a result, some municipalities have issued emergency measures of their own to stem a further rise in novel coronavirus infections.
A number of bars and restaurants in the entertainment district of Nagano city, northwest of Tokyo, began posting signs around noon on April 2 to say their establishments would be closing temporarily.