Japan Authorizes Police to Shoot Bears Amid Surge in Attacks
In an unprecedented decision, Japanese authorities have announced that police are now permitted to use firearms to manage the bear population, following a series of fatal attacks that have caused widespread concern.
The new regulation takes effect today, Thursday, November 13, 2025.
Since April of this year, bears have killed 13 people across various regions of Japan, marking a record number of fatalities that the country has not previously experienced. Authorities have been receiving nearly daily reports of bears entering homes or being spotted near schools and major retail areas.
Local officials informed the news agency AFP that the legal change allowing police to shoot bears officially came into effect today. They explained that the decision was made after it became clear that the traditional firearms previously used were ineffective in deterring these large animals.
The bear situation has escalated into a national crisis, prompting the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to issue a warning on Wednesday about "wildlife hazards," advising its citizens to avoid wandering alone in areas where bears have been sighted.
Similarly, British authorities issued a comparable warning for their citizens in Japan.
In some northern regions, the situation has become so severe that units of the Japanese military have been deployed to protect towns and villages after the frequency of attacks increased. Several rural prefectures have requested urgent military intervention to help stabilize the situation.
Wildlife experts attribute the problem primarily to a significant increase in the bear population due to an abundance of food in the forests, coupled with a decline in population in mountain villages, which has led to the erosion of traditional barriers between wildlife habitats and residential areas.
The Japanese government hopes that the new regulation will help mitigate the growing danger and protect lives while simultaneously working on long-term ecological solutions to balance citizen safety with wildlife preservation.
