Aomori, May 10, 2026 (News On Japan) - As bears increasingly appear in residential areas across Japan, emergency gun hunts to eliminate the animals have also been carried out repeatedly in Aomori Prefecture, where a local hunter has spoken publicly about the difficulties involved in firing a weapon in populated areas.
A female Asian black bear measuring about one meter in length was culled in Hachinohe on May 6th in what marked the first emergency gun hunt in the prefecture conducted by members of a local hunting association.
Koichiro Yoshida, vice branch chief of the Hachinohe chapter of the Aomori Hunting Association, described the tense situation at the scene.
“When we shook the bushes, the bear suddenly burst out from around there,” Yoshida said. “I raised the gun here, and as the bear ran, I swung the rifle, but it became a horizontal shot. If the bullet misses, it keeps flying, so even though I got to the point where I could fire, I couldn’t pull the trigger.”
Although the hunters eventually cornered the bear in a safer location, the shot was not fired until 40 minutes after the animal was first spotted.
Yoshida explained that the hunters ultimately used a thick concrete structure as a backstop before opening fire.
“When a bear appears in an urban area, I want city officials to proceed from the start under the assumption that an emergency gun hunt may be necessary,” Yoshida said. “Those of us actually confronting the bear on the ground can respond more easily if that framework is already in place.”
Bear sightings in Aomori Prefecture this year are occurring at nearly double the pace recorded last year, which had already marked a record high for sightings in the prefecture.
Source: TBS
