This bear entered the grounds of a temple in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture
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The revised Wildlife Protection, Control and Hunting Management Act takes effect on Monday, September 1. This allows "emergency hunting" of bears that appear in populated areas ("local living spheres") under specific conditions. A city or town mayor in an affected area must deem it "necessary." Furthermore, it can only be carried out by hunters licensed according to the Act. This change represents a key step in responding to the successive damages bears have recently inflicted on residential areas and fields used by humans. It allows local governments to act promptly to nip danger in the bud.
There have already been many victims in 2025. Among them, in July, a woman in Iwate Prefecture was killed by a black bear while at home. And in Hokkaido, a man delivering newspapers was killed by a brown bear.
Bears and Humans
In the past, people often encountered bears when going into the mountains to gather wild vegetables. However, recent years have seen an increase in the number of attacks by "urban bears" that forage in residential and commercial areas.
Traditionally, police have responded to urban bears by ordering hunters to fire on a bear only when it represented a clear and imminent danger. However, this meant problems could easily develop and situations could get out of hand.
Amendment of the law is a significant step forward. Mayors of cities can now make swift decisions when a threatening bear needs to be euthanized.
However, such bear shooting by definition takes place in populated areas. Ample caution is absolutely required to avoid poorly aimed or ricocheting shots that might cause personal injury to humans. The Ministry of the Environment has prepared guidelines that explain how to ensure safety under the new system. Their contents and procedures must be thoroughly implemented.
Rehearsals should be conducted inside buildings, on riverbanks, or at other safe locations. Furthermore, procedures should be established to ensure residents are duly informed in advance. Methods for accurately disseminating information to residents should be established.
Why Now?
Postwar expansion of farmland drove wild animals deep into the mountains. However, the situation has now changed radically due to depopulation and the decline of agriculture and forestry. Under the circumstances, the use of firearms to exterminate bears should be viewed cautiously, but perhaps as an unavoidable measure.
One important native food for bears is beech nuts. This fall, however, the beech nut harvest is expected to be poor. That raises concerns that hungry bears may appear in urban habitats more often before hibernation. Human life is, of course, the government's top priority. Therefore, transparent and public groundwork needs to be laid for safe hunting.
Finding Ways to Coexist
At the same time, humans must strive to coexist with nature. In part, that includes reducing human encounters with bears and keeping them from entering human habitats. Among other steps, unused fruit trees near the mountains should be removed. Dense foliage should also be removed along riverbanks that serve as bear paths into developed areas, and garbage in residential areas should be carefully managed.
Local governments must take urgent measures to deal with the pressing issue of repeated harm to humans caused by bears. Nevertheless, as things now stand, all we have are the means that hunting and the legal system provide us. That can and should change. It should be possible to develop alternative methods for euthanizing dangerous bears.
Recently, there has been remarkable progress in technologies like drones and AI, and their use is expanding in many fields. Such recently developed technologies should be incorporated into bear management. Specifically, there is a need to minimize the risk of accidental shootings and ricochets in populated areas.
The Ministry of the Environment should take the lead in establishing a task force of local governments, police, and private companies to promote early development of such technologies and necessary legal reforms.
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Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
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