Brown Bear Cullings: Supreme Court Ruling Places Significant Emphasis on Hunter’s Role

Editorial

15:27 JST, March 28, 2026

With the snow melting, concerns are growing that bears will soon reemerge. As there is a growing need to capture or kill bears, efforts must be made to develop an environment that will make it easier for hunters to conduct their activities.

In response to a request from the city government of Sunagawa, Hokkaido, a male hunter used a hunting rifle to shoot a brown bear. Subsequently, the Hokkaido Prefectural Public Safety Commission revoked his gun license. The Third Petty Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the public safety commission’s disciplinary action was illegal. The man’s legal victory has been finalized.

In 2018, the man, who belongs to a hunting association, fired a single shot from a rifle and hit a brown bear. His gun license was revoked in part because there was a private residence behind the bear, and he had violated the law on the protection and management of wildlife, which prohibits shooting toward buildings.

In 2024, the Sapporo High Court upheld the public safety commission’s decision, citing the fact that the bullet passed through the bear and struck the stock of another hunter’s rifle, among other matters.

In contrast, the Supreme Court said: “The shooting was meaningful in that it protected the lives of residents. The punishment is harsh and could discourage hunters.”

If a hunter misses an opportunity to shoot and kill a bear, that could allow the bear to stage a counterattack. Taking this into consideration, the ruling likely placed significant weight on the social role that hunters have played by culling bears on a regular basis.

For residents of other areas who are struggling with problems caused by bears, this issue is not just someone else’s problem. According to the Environment Ministry, bear habitats have expanded, particularly in Hokkaido and the Tohoku region.

The number of bear sightings reported this fiscal year has reached 50,000 nationwide, more than double the figure from the previous fiscal year. There have been over 200 incidents in which people were attacked by bears, and more than 10 deaths have resulted. Incidents in which bears caused damage have also frequently occurred in urban areas.

This trend has been driven by the abandonment of farmland and a decline in the forestry industry due to the shrinking and aging of the population, resulting in the shrinking of satoyama, buffer zones between bear habitats and human settlements.

In September last year, a rule was introduced for emergency hunting with guns, allowing heads of municipalities to authorize hunters to use firearms in urban areas. Such action has already been taken in about 60 cases, targeting bears and wild boars. Relevant people should continue to deal with such situations appropriately while giving due consideration to the safety of residents.

The hunters who have been culling bears are aging, and their numbers are decreasing. If they are punished for carrying out their duties, which involve dangerous work, no one will cooperate anymore.

It is the duty of the government to ensure public safety when bears are culled. Effective measures must be devised, such as temporarily hiring people with hunting licenses as municipal employees to protect them. The central government should advance support for local governments.

 (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 28, 2026)