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Pictures posted on twitter (https://twitter.com/haya2e_jaxa/status/1335513393122316288/photo/2 and BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-55201662) show a couple of team members in what looks like bomb disposal gear. In the picture from the BBC people who are photographing the retrieval are in regular street clothing.
Question: What is the retrieval team being protected from?
Twitter photo:
BBC photo:
The first people who approached the capsule indeed worn bomb squad gear. That is because the parachute deployment of the capsule used explosive devices and the recovery crew needed to check that they had detonated properly. From the official website
Once the capsule is found, it will not be approached immediately. Pyrotechnics are used to open the parachute and separate the heat shield, so first a safety check is needed for any non-ignition.
After that safety check confirming that no more explosives could detonate, it was no longer necessary to wear protective gear near the capsule, which explains the street clothes in the later photos.
