Hokkaido Hunter Loses Permit After Shooting Near Buildings, Sparking Concerns Over Bear Culling

Hokkaido Hunter Loses Permit After Shooting Near Buildings

A Hokkaido high court ruling has upheld a decision to strip a hunter of his firearm permit, raising concerns about the impact on bear culling efforts. Hunters are worried that shooting bears in areas with buildings nearby could lead to permit revocations, potentially hindering their ability to control bear populations.

The ruling stems from an incident in August 2018, when a 75-year-old hunter, who heads the Hokkaido hunting association's Sunagawa branch, was asked by a local municipality to cull a brown bear. The man was later stripped of his firearm permit after allegations that he fired in the direction of buildings during the culling.

In 2020, the Sunagawa branch head filed a lawsuit claiming that the shoot had been conducted safely and challenging the Hokkaido government's revocation of his permit. The Sapporo District Court initially ruled in favor of the hunter in 2021, stating that it found no concrete danger of bullets hitting buildings. However, the Hokkaido high court overturned this decision, upholding the permit revocation.

This ruling has sparked concerns among hunters, who fear that it could set a precedent for stricter regulations on bear culling. They argue that shooting bears in areas with buildings is sometimes necessary to protect public safety, and that the current regulations are already sufficient to ensure responsible hunting practices.