Japan police conduct emergency firearm hunts on bears in Yamagata and Toyama

Police in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture held a briefing with municipal officials on "emergency firearm hunting" after a surge in bear sightings, including a recent city‑area bear that was shot on June 3.

In Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture, officials used the same emergency firearm hunting authority to kill a 1.4‑metre, 105‑kg male bear that had entered a former boiler room of a livestock facility on February 29. The worker who discovered the animal reported it, and three shots eliminated the bear without injury to anyone. This is the second emergency shooting in Tateyama this year and the third in Toyama Prefecture, highlighting growing human‑bear conflicts and joint police‑municipal responses across Japan.