Zhangixalus arboreus, which is endemic species in Japan, is widely distributed throughout the main island of Japan. This species was introduced to Izu-Oshima Island by human activity, where it multiplied and was subsequently classified as a domestic invasive species. This species is considered rare in Kanagawa Prefecture. Although few records of findings prior to the 1980s exist, reports of findings since the 1980s were initially sparse and limited to a few locations. In recent years, this species has been reported to occur successively from western to central Kanagawa Prefecture and in some eastern regions of the prefecture as well, which suggests the possibility of their spread via human activity. Phylogenetic data for this species throughout Japan were reported in 2019, but relatively little data came from Kanagawa Prefecture. In this study, we analyzed the haplotype distribution of this species at several sites in Kanagawa Prefecture to clarify their origins. While some native strains may spread in the northern and central locales, strains with completely different haplotypes were found at other sites, suggesting that most of this species in Kanagawa Prefecture have been introduced by humans. The concept of domestic invasive species is not yet widely understood. Many people believe that no problems are caused by the introduction of a species by humans into an area where it already exists. We hope that the results of this study will help prevent the spread of domestically introduced species in Japan.

 Human-bear conflicts have been serious issues in Japan, and the highest number of bears were captured and number of casualties were also the highest on the record in the fiscal year of 2023. In Shiretoko, Hokkaido, where around 15,000 residents live and more than 1.7 million tourists visit, there have been no citizen casualties by bear attacks recorded. In this research, we studied how the brown bear education program started in Shiretoko Utoro school as well as potential impacts of the program toward students. Interviews toward the personnel who were involved in developing the bear education program nearly 20 years ago revealed that the program was introduced as a part of school curriculum through collaboration with Shari town, Shiretoko Nature Foundation, and Shiretoko Utoro school. Survey revealed that while majority of students have seen wild bears in their daily lives, the higher graders tend to have more knowledge about bears as well as higher tolerance toward bears. This research identified not only how the bear education program was developed in Shiretoko but also potential impacts generated by such program toward students as well as residents.