Parliament on Friday enacted a bill to allow municipalities to give the go-ahead to shoot wild bears found in urban areas.
The bill to revise the wildlife protection and hunting law was approved at the House of Councilors. It will take effect within six months.
With more wild bears entering human areas across Japan in recent years, the revised law is aimed at making it possible to deal with them promptly and prevent casualties.
The law designates animals with a high risk of harming people as "dangerous wildlife animals" that can be shot. The government plans to designate brown bears, black bears and wild boars as dangerous animals under an ordinance.
Under the revised law, municipal authorities can give permission to shoot dangerous wildlife animals when such animals enter people's daily living areas, such as residential areas and public transportation, and there is a need to urgently act to prevent harm to people.
Previously, shooting in urban areas was only permitted with an order from a police officer.
From the viewpoint of securing people's safety, the government assumes that permission for shooting under the revised law will be granted for cases in which bears and other dangerous wildlife animals are trapped in buildings or in a tree.
The revised law stipulates municipalities compensate for losses from shootings, such as structural damage caused by a fired bullet.
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