Japan police amend rules to allow officers to use rifles against bears

Japan's National Police Agency on Thursday amended its rules to allow police officers to use rifles to kill bears, in response to a recent surge in bear attacks on humans.Until now, the regulations for police rifle use have been very restrictive, limited to hijacking incidents or other extreme cases. The amendment will take effect on Nov. 13.In Iwate and Akita prefectures, where the highest number of bear attacks have been reported, police firearms task forces from other prefectures will conduct joint training with local hunting associations and others to gain a better understanding of bear…READ FULL ARTICLE