Overview
- At a ruling party project team meeting on Nov. 5, Dainippon Ryoyukai president Yohei Sasaki said police lack the experience to shoot bears and called such culling “impossible,” also voicing opposition to Self-Defense Forces involvement.
- The National Police Agency’s idea to permit officers to kill bears remains under consideration, with reporting highlighting substantial training, legal, and safety hurdles.
- Government coordination for Akita envisions SDF assistance limited to non-lethal tasks such as setting traps, with no shooting planned.
- Local police in Akita confirmed a Nov. 4 attack in Daisen in which a 72-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening leg injuries after being struck and scratched by a bear.
- Hokkaido municipalities continue reporting sightings that disrupt community events, including a canceled commemorative tree-planting in Setana, as multi-agency talks proceed without a finalized operating protocol.