Overview
- Nationwide reinforcement dispatches conclude on December 26, with Iwate and Akita prefectural police taking over operations from December 27.
- Rifle-trained riot police had rotated into both prefectures since November, establishing two response teams in each location.
- A November change to National Public Safety Commission rules authorized police use of service rifles for bear culling, which had previously been limited to scenarios such as hijackings.
- Over roughly six weeks of deployments, no bears were culled and teams were formally dispatched only once, on November 18 in Iwaizumi, Iwate Prefecture.
- The National Police Agency cited declining bear sightings and the establishment of local 'emergency rifle hunting' capacity as reasons for ending the reinforcements.