Photo/Illutration A “higuma” brown bear looking for food in a coastal area of Rausu, Hokkaido, in September 2023. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The National Police Agency is increasing the firepower in the battle to reduce bear-related incidents by authorizing officers to use rifles to exterminate bears that threaten humans.

Preparations, such as training, are being expedited mainly among the riot police units in the six Tohoku prefectures in northern Japan and Hokkaido.

For bear sightings or attacks, police have traditionally guided residents away from danger while maintaining vigilance. They have also instructed hunters to shoot the animals based on the Police Duties Execution Law.

In “emergency hunting” authorized by local governments, police officers have cooperated on-site to ensure safety.

But as bear encounters and attacks increased in number this year, the NPA considered new measures to protect the public.

After determining that handguns carried by police officers are ineffective in stopping a dangerous bear, the agency decided that the more-powerful rifles of prefectural riot police units should be used.

The NPA also said there would be no legal or organizational issues concerning police-issued rifles being used against bears.

The agency noted that the Police Duties Execution Law contains provisions that allow the “use of weapons within necessary limits” and “the ability to order or take necessary measures for the prevention of harm.”

Prefectural police departments are considering the actual operational methods, including having hunters teach officers how to track and shoot bears.

The departments will also discuss how their officers will coordinate and collaborate with municipalities and other related organizations.

Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department on Oct. 24 sent a document to police stations titled, “Effectiveness and Judgment Regarding Use of Handguns Against Bears.”

The MPD examined the effectiveness of police-issued revolvers against bears, taking into account opinions from the National Research Institute of Police Science affiliated with the NPA.

According to the MPD document, handguns, which are less powerful than shotguns or rifles, cannot instantly kill a bear due to the thickness of its skin and subcutaneous fat and the hardness of its skull.

Although the use of a handgun could prompt a wounded bear to attack, it may be necessary to discharge these weapons in situations where there is a threat of harm to people, the document said.

(This article was written by Shinpachi Yoshida, senior staff writer, and Shomei Nagatsuma.)

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