The Japanese Government Approves The Bill On "Emergency Shooting" Against Animals Amid An Increase In Bear Attacks

Illustration of the area board prohibits hunting with weapons in Aichi, Japan. (Wikimedia Commons/Gilgono)

JAKARTA - The Japanese government on Friday approved a Draft Law that allows municipality to allow "emergency shooting" by hunters as dangerous animals enter populated areas amid rising cases of bear attacks.

The bill to revise laws on the protection and management of wildlife will allow a faster and more effective response to current measures, which only allow dangerous animals to be shot when people are in direct danger, quoted from Kyodo News on February 21.

If the revised law is enforced in the current Parliamentary session, the Ministry of Environment intends to impose it in the fall, as bears start to become active. The ministry reported a record high of 219 victims of attacks, including six deaths, as a result of bear attacks in the fiscal year 2023 to March 2024.

The bill will establish dangerous animals through regulations, with brown bears, black bears and wild boars likely to be on the list.

Local governments will be able to respond to situations such as bears in a house or building for a long time.

The bill will also establish certain conditions for emergency shooting, such as when animal arrests are quickly difficult to do without using firearms and there is no risk of bullets hitting people.

The new measures will also allow regional heads to limit traffic and issue evacuation orders, in collaboration with police to ensure the safety of citizens when an emergency shooting is carried out.

Local governments will provide compensation if the building is damaged by bullets.