Japan gov't mulls police rifle use to combat surge in bear attacks

The Japanese government stepped up measures on Thursday to counter a recent spate of bear attacks in the country, with an eye to considering the use of rifles by police.With Japan hit by a record high 12 fatalities in the current fiscal year from April, the top government spokesman, Minoru Kihara, said at a ministerial meeting on bear attacks that the current situation "threatens the security and safety of the people."The meeting was expanded to include eight ministries, up from the previous five, newly incorporating the Defense Ministry. Kihara, the chief Cabinet secretary, ordered the imp…READ FULL ARTICLE