By KAI ICHINO/ Staff Writer
July 8, 2024 at 16:23 JST
"Higuma" brown bears are seen on a road in Shari, Hokkaido, in May 2022. They have been increasingly spotted in residential areas in the region. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
In response to a record number of bear attacks across the country, the Environment Ministry will ease conditions for using hunting rifles in urban areas.
A panel of experts is expected to approve the plan on July 8. The ministry aims to revise the wild birds and animals protection and management law in the next session of the Diet.
The ministry said the number of bear attacks on humans reported in fiscal 2023 was 219, the highest ever. Of the 219, six died.
In fiscal 2024, which started in April, 34 people were injured and two killed as of July 2.
Governors of Hokkaido and the Tohoku region, where bear sightings are high, requested that the ministry review the hunting rifle law in February.
The current law prohibits the use of hunting rifles in urban areas, with two exceptions.
A hunting club or other group can only shoot a bear if a police officer is present and instructs them to fire.
The other instance is responding to the situation as an unavoidable act, which is considered an “emergency evacuation” under the Penal Code.
However, there are cases where it took an officer a long time to grant permission and others where the trapper was questioned about the legality of their choice after taking the shot.
In May, a panel of experts proposed a policy allowing the use of hunting rifles in cases where there is a real threat of harm to people.
The panel also proposed allowing the use of hunting rifles to kill bears captured with box traps.
The panel requested that the law be revised.
However, there is the risk of bullets ricocheting and hitting someone or damaging a building. Injuring a bear could also increase the level of danger if the animal grows agitated.
“Not only skill, but also a high level of caution and a sense of responsibility are required," said Hiromasa Igota, panel chair and associate professor of hunting management at Rakuno Gakuen University in Hokkaido. "The framework in which (hunting bears) is left to the discretion of hunting club members should be drastically changed.”
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