Simplify the following text for a Grade 12 native English-speaking person.
Original: The bear character originates from the popular bulletin board system ( BBS ) website 2channel in Japan , where it was introduced as ã ã ã 1\/4 ( KumÄ ) , which is an interjection of the word ã ã 3\/4 ( Kuma ) meaning bear in Japanese . In spite of the impression of Pedobear in Europe and the United States , KumÄ is not associated with any sexual thing such as pedophilia .
Simplified: Pedobear first appeared on 2channel , a popular bulletin board system in Japan and was originally called KumÄ ( interjection of Kuma which means bear in Japanese ) or Safety Bear .