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Teacher stares down bear at school in Japan, saving students from harm

Oona McGee Aug 21, 2025
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The glare of a vice-principal is enough to make a bear run away.

On the morning of 18 August, students were arriving at Ipponki Junior High School in Takizawa City, Iwate Prefecture, when an unwelcome visitor was spotted on the grounds. The visitor wasn’t a person, but a bear, who was seen wandering around the front door of the building just before 8:00 a.m.

▼ Ipponki Junior High School

Although the incident occurred during the school’s summer vacation, a number of students were inside the building, or making their way towards it, to practice for an upcoming relay race.

The bear wasn’t a part of the practice drills, though, so as soon as one of the students laid eyes on the animal they immediately informed a teacher, and the school’s vice-principal, Shin Ito, sprang into action, rushing to the front of the school.

Vice-Principal Ito then found himself face-to-face with the bear in the hallway leading to the gymnasium, so he instructed nearby students to hide near the shoe lockers. The bear was around 50-60 centimetres (20-24 inches) in length and appeared to be a baby, which made Ito fear that the mother might be nearby.

With no time to waste, Ito stood in front of the bear and stared it down for around three seconds. After a short standoff, the animal turned and ran off through an open emergency exit door in the hallway that led to the outside grounds.

Nobody was harmed in the incident, and the bear was captured on security camera footage running away.

▼ This news report shows the bear on the school grounds and the vice-principal recalling his three-second stare-off with the bear.

In speaking to the media after the incident, the vice-principal said, “I had to ensure the safety of the students, so I gave them the instruction to ‘hide.’ Rather than worrying about my own safety, I was a little worried that the mother bear might be there.”

His quick-thinking actions and concern for students’ safety will no doubt make him a hero in the local area, and people online were equally impressed, leaving comments like:

“Wow, he’s so cool, I hope he gets promoted to principal next year.”
“How reassuring to have such a diligent vice-principal.”
“This would’ve been frightening. If the mother bear had come running, it would’ve been game over.”
“Once you become a vice-principal, you have the power to defeat a bear.”
“Even bears run away from vice-principals!”

Any student who’s ever cowered in fear at the glare of a vice-principal will understand the power of the stare, which is enough to make a baby bear run away. It’s fortunate that the incident didn’t occur on a regular school day when more children would’ve been arriving, though, as things could’ve turned out very differently.

Source: Iwate Menkoi TV via Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Pakutaso
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