An increasing number of shark sightings at beaches across Japan this month is affecting tourism, with visitors shunning popular summer destinations where authorities have imposed swimming bans.
Sharks have recently been spotted at several beaches in Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Shizuoka and Kagoshima prefectures. In Ibaraki, about 20 sandbar sharks and what is thought to have been a hammerhead shark were sighted in Hokota and Kashima earlier this month.
The sightings have prompted authorities to implement measures to prevent possible attacks on swimmers.