Shimpei Okuhara 
A "DJ Police" Nara prefectural police officer raises awareness about preventing violence against deer. July 25, 2024, Nara City
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A viral video showing assaults on the nationally protected deer of Nara Park has sparked widespread outrage on social media. In response, the Nara Prefectural Government revised its rules under the Prefectural Urban Park Ordinance. As of April 1, the rules explicitly list violent acts against deer as prohibited behavior in the park.
Prompted By Viral Video of Man Kicking Deer
New regulations now define harmful acts as "inflicting unjustified violence likely to cause injury, forcing the animal to engage in potentially harmful acts, or other comparable behavior."
An incident in July 2024 prompted the revision. A video showing a man in a white T-shirt kicking and hitting deer in the park surfaced at that time. The footage sparked widespread outrage online.
Nara's deer are designated as National Natural Monuments and protected under the Cultural Properties Protection Act. The law prohibits acts that could kill or injure them. However, the video highlighted the need to address other forms of abuse, such as kicking or hitting. These may not leave visible injuries but are nonetheless harmful.
Protecting Nara's Deer
A Nara Prefectural official told The Sankei Shimbun and JAPAN Forward that "The spread of the violent video underscored the need to closely monitor inappropriate behavior." The official added, "Even if such acts don't technically violate the Cultural Properties Protection Act, they are still considered violent. They have now been added to the list of prohibited acts."
An increasing number of foreign tourists have been visiting Nara Park. Meanwhile, incidents involving people carelessly touching, feeding, or provoking the deer have also been on the rise. In response, so-called "DJ police" from the prefectural force now deliver multilingual announcements in Japanese, English, and Chinese to raise awareness.
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Author: Shimpei Okuhara
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