Japan cities confront bear attack dilemma amid emergency shooting rules
Japan’s strict gun laws have collided with rising bear attacks, forcing municipalities to weigh the risks of emergency shootings in densely populated neighborhoods, Qazinform News Agency cites Kyodo.
A law revision in September 2025 allowed mayors to order emergency bear shootings in residential areas.
By June 2026, the measure had been invoked 72 times across 12 prefectures, with 80% of cases in urban zones.
But mayors still face tough choices: protecting residents vs. risks of stray bullets in crowded districts.
In Fukushima, a bear attacked four people on June 2. Mayor Yuki Baba authorized emergency shooting, but responders couldn’t fire due to flammable materials inside a factory. The bear escaped despite tranquilizer attempts.
In Utsunomiya (Tochigi Prefecture), a 100-kg bear was captured with a tranquilizer on June 9 after repeated sightings in the city center.
The Japan Hunters Association said about only 57,000 licensed rifle/shotgun hunters remain, down 70% since 1994.
Training takes up to 10 years before hunters are fully capable of safely shooting bears.
Prefectures like Toyama are subsidizing gun purchases and training, but staffing limits hinder progress.
Since October 2025, emergency shootings have surged: 11 in October, 30 in November, 14 in December.
Activity slowed during hibernation in January–March, but rose again in spring.
However, the number climbed to 15 since April, as bear activity increased. Approximately 80 percent of the shootings occurred in urban areas, while the rest took place near farmland and rivers.
Yamagata Prefecture recorded the most cases (19), followed by Niigata (14), Akita (7), Toyama (7), Iwate (5), and Fukushima (5).
The six Tohoku prefectures accounted for 60% of all incidents.
A drill to ensure safety against bear intrusions is held in an Aeon supermarket store in Akita Prefecture, using a bear cutout, on June 22, 2026.
