Hello r/japan. It’s Dave again from the audience engagement team at Nikkei Asia.
I’m sharing a free portion of the article above for anyone interested.
The excerpt starts below.
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TOKYO — The growing threat posed by wild bear attacks in Japan was addressed today in an inaugural meeting of officials from relevant ministries and agencies, with the creation of a paid government hunter program among the main measures discussed.
The Environment Ministry plans to create a program for those with the necessary license and qualifications to remove the bears to work as so-called government hunters. Local governments would hire specialized personnel and provide training to employees to address the issue.
"We'll use the additional budget to hire more government hunters and other people who can aid in the response," said Environment Minister Hirotaka Ishihara. The funds were originally part of the 3.7 billion yen ($24 million) budget request for fiscal 2026 that included money for projects related to the management of designated wildlife, but will be included in the supplementary budget for this fiscal year instead.
The Environment Ministry intends to add this and other measures to a package of measures designed to reduce bear attacks on people that it is drawing up with the Agriculture Ministry and others. Changes may also be made to allow police to use rifles to shoot bears.
by NikkeiAsia