Japan Police Deploy Officers to Cull Bears

Akita/Takizawa, Iwate Pref., Nov. 13 (Jiji Press)–Japanese police deployed teams of officers to the country’s northeast on Thursday to cull bears to protect locals amid a wave of attacks. The police have revised rules to enable officers to use rifles to kill bears if they appear in urban areas where it is difficult for hunters to respond. Two teams of four officers–a commander, a liaison and two hunters from riot police–were deployed in each of Akita and Iwate prefectures. “I ask you to have a strong belief that you will protect the safety and security of citizens,” Minoru Kobayashi, chief of the Akita prefectural police department, told its teams at a ceremony in the city of Akita. “I expect you to dispel concerns about bears and ensure the safety of residents,” Kenichi Okada, an official at the life safety planning division of the Iwate prefectural police department, told its teams at a ceremony in the city of Takizawa. It is unprecedented for police officers to cull bears in Japan. Officers learned about the ecology of bears and conducted shooting training. The police introduced bullets for bears. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]