Japan's new rules allowing police to kill bears with rifles take effect

Amended rules took effect on Thursday permitting police officers in Japan to use rifles to kill bears, in response to a recent surge in attacks on humans.As the country ramps up efforts to tackle the attacks, police have expanded the scope of their use of rifles, which had been limited to dealing with or preventing serious criminal incidents such as hijackings.According to the Environment Ministry, the number of deaths caused by bears since April reached a record 13 as of Nov. 5.Police firearms task forces from various prefectures will work with local police in Iwate and Akita prefectures i…READ FULL ARTICLE