Overview
- The National Police Agency’s revision entered into force on Thursday, allowing officers to use rifles or shotguns when human life is in imminent danger.
- Akita and Iwate held ceremonies to deploy armed riot units as authorities respond to near-daily incursions in hard‑hit northern prefectures.
- Police emphasized the authorization is exceptional and protocol‑bound, requiring necessity, proportionality and coordination with local officials and hunting teams.
- Self‑Defense Forces continue non‑lethal support such as laying traps and logistics, while the prime minister pledged additional funding for local responses.
- Since April, at least 13 people have died in roughly 220 attacks, with experts citing poor acorn crops, warmer winters, and rural depopulation; the U.S. Embassy issued a wildlife alert as closures ranged from a Sapporo zoo to a Yamagata airport incident earlier this year.