Overview
- National Public Safety Commission rules revised on November 6 took effect November 13, enabling police to carry out bear culls with rifles.
- Riot police firearm teams were sent to Iwate and Akita, with two four-person teams in each prefecture and a total of eight designated shooters; firing in mountains is excluded, focusing on bears entering populated areas.
- Initial deployment plans call for one week of coordination with local hunters, site surveys, and shooting practice, followed by two weeks of culling operations on a rotating basis.
- The Ground Self-Defense Force expanded logistical support in Akita on November 12 to five municipalities, moving 14 roughly 200-kilogram box traps and transporting three culled bears for burial, including excavation with heavy equipment.
- Akita has recorded 58 incidents injuring 66 people this fiscal year as of November 10, while Shiga’s Maibara city ran the prefecture’s first emergency shooting drill on November 12 that included drone searches, evacuations, and a mock engagement based on local guidelines.