ONAGAWA, Miyagi -- The town of Onagawa in northeast Japan's Miyagi Prefecture has apologized after an image of a bear posted on an official social media account for a warning was declared to be AI-generated by its creator.

The image was uploaded to Onagawa's official X account as part of a post urging caution after a resident contacted officials on the morning of Nov. 26, saying, "I saw a bear and I have a photo." It was claimed the image had been taken the previous evening from an area near a day care, prompting officials to issue an advisory over the emergency radio system before sharing the picture via the town's official accounts on X and messaging app Line.

The image, now deleted, appeared to be a composite of a real place in the town and a huge bear lit by nearby streetlights as it stands on a road at night. The creator reportedly contacted authorities after noticing that the image was spreading online fast. A town official commented, "We've caused anxiety and inconvenience to the town's residents. We should have directly verified the information with those who claimed to have seen the original photographer and witnesses."

After the image was posted, the nearby day care contacted parents, some of whom came to pick up their children, and the venue for an event scheduled for Nov. 28 was changed. A staff member commented, "It was a troubling situation, but given how worried we were about the possibility of such a large bear being around, the feeling of relief is stronger."

(Japanese original by Nobuyuki Hyakutake, Ishinomaki Local Bureau)