Japan’s north welcomes move to allow police to cull bears, but concerns linger
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A member of Japan Self-Defence Forces standing next to military vehicles during practice setting up a bear trap in Kazuno, Akita prefecture, Japan.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TOKYO – The decision to allow rifle-carrying riot police officers to cull wild bears in Akita and Iwate prefectures has been welcomed locally, but some observers have also warned that successfully culling the animals will be a challenging mission.
Japan’s National Police Agency (NPA) on Nov 7 revised the rules of the National Public Safety Commission to enable police officers to shoot and cull bears that appear near human settlements.
The move comes amid a spate of bear attacks on people in those prefectures.
Culling operations are expected to start on or after Nov 13, when the revisions come into force.
“We will work closely with the local authorities and other groups and make sure that the safety of residents is the top priority,” NPA commissioner-general Yoshinobu Kusunoki said at a press conference on Nov 7.
“We will push ahead with efforts to prevent bears from causing harm.”
Prefectural and municipal governments have handled the capture and culling of bears based on the Wildlife Protection, Control and Hunting Management Law.
Police officers have dealt with such instances only in emergencies, based on the Police Duties Execution Law, by taking steps including ordering hunters to cull bears with a hunting gun.
But after receiving a request from the central government
Bear-culling operations are now covered by the police’s rules on the use of rifles, which would normally be used for preventing and quelling vicious crimes.
The police’s bear-culling teams will have four members – a supervisor, two riot police officers armed with rifles and a liaison officer, who will coordinate with relevant entities.
The Iwate and Akita prefectural police forces will each be provided with two of these teams, which will work closely with local hunting clubs and conduct shooting practice while learning about bear behaviour and their vulnerabilities.
The agency will continue the dispatch of these teams until instances of harm caused by bears are brought under control. To prepare for emergencies, riot police officers will be dispatched on a rotating basis.
Support and concern
Mr Kazuo Sato, the mayor of Yuzawa, Akita prefecture, has welcomed the NPA’s decision.
“At a time when reported bear sightings are becoming more frequent, this will reduce the burden on the local hunting clubs’ members, who do this while holding down jobs,” Mr Sato said.
This sentiment was shared by secretary-general Tokio Chiba of a hunting club in Ichinoseki, Iwate prefecture.
One person was fatally attacked by a bear in the city in October.
“Our hunting club has few young members, so having the police officers come here will be a big help,” said the secretary-general.
However, the 77-year-old also believes culling the bears, which can reportedly run at speeds of 40kmh, will not be easy.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, the hardness of a bear’s skull and the thick layer of fat under their skin would render attempts to cull the creatures using the handguns carried by police officers impossible.
Mr Yohei Sasaki, chairman of Dainihon Ryoyukai, a national hunters association based in Tokyo, warned that police officers tasked with shooting bears would face a difficult challenge.
“If the officer’s shot misses, the bear might strike back. And even if the bullet hits the target, the bear could still charge at them,” Mr Sasaki said.
“The officers will need a significant amount of training to deal with these situations.” THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
