Bear shot under revised law in northeastern Japan
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The Japanese government is scrambling to deal with the surge in maulings.
PHOTO: AFP
FUKUSHIMA, Japan - A village in northeastern Japan authorised the shooting of a bear in a residential area on Jan 30, invoking a revised law that allows municipalities to do so at their discretion in emergency situations.
The roughly 50-centimeter-long bear was shot around 4pm (3pm, Singapore time) after remaining inside the garage of a home in the village of Kitashiobara, Fukushima Prefecture.
There were no human injuries, according to local police.
Bears typically enter hibernation by early December, making sightings at this time of year rare.
Despite this, Fukushima Prefecture said it logged a record 71 bear sightings in December 2025, with more than a dozen sightings in January already.
The prefectural government said the bear in the garage was discovered at around 9.30am on Jan 30, prompting the village to request assistance.
A specialist licensed to use tranquiliser guns was dispatched by the prefecture. KYODO NEWS
