Japan authorizes police rifle use to combat growing bear threat
Japan's National Police Agency on Thursday amended rules to allow police officers to use rifles to cull bears, following a recent surge inbear attacks on humans.
Until now, regulations governing police rifle use had been highly restrictive, limited to hijacking incidents or other extreme situations, News.Az reports, citing Kyodo.
The amendment will take effect on November 13.
In Iwate and Akita prefectures, where the highest number of bear attacks have been reported, police firearms task forces from other prefectures will conduct joint training with local hunting associations and others to gain a better understanding of bear behavior and their vulnerabilities.
Police officers are permitted to kill bears that appear in urban areas of the two prefectures under the enforcement law if there is not enough time to wait for the local authorities' approval for an emergency shooting.
There will be two teams of police officers stationed in each prefecture. Each team will consist of a commanding officer, a liaison to local authorities and two snipers.
According to the Environment Ministry, the number of deaths caused by bears since April reached a record 13 as of Wednesday.
Last month, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara ordered the police agency to consider allowing rifles to be used to cull bears. On Tuesday and Wednesday, it dispatched officers to Iwate and Akita prefectures to assess the situation and later received requests for assistance.
There are approximately 2,100 personnel belonging to the firearms task forces under the riot squad of each prefectural police. They are given rifles, submachine guns and other weapons to deal with incidents involving firearms.
So far, the police have evacuated local residents, secured the surrounding area, and patrolled school routes where bears have appeared.
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