Bear attacks Japan tourists, shot dead in shop

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peyton

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Bear attacks Japan tourists, shot dead in shop

I know we expect bear problems here in the U.S. but this article caught my attention because it states a hunter killed the bear. I did not realize anyone was allowed firearms within Japan.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32934268/ns/world_news-asiapacific/

Bear attacks Japan tourists, shot dead in shop

Nine people injured before hunter kills animal in lodge’s souvenir store

updated 5:19 a.m. ET Sept. 20, 2009
TOKYO - A bear injured nine people at highway rest stop in central Japan before being shot dead in a souvenir shop, a firefighter said Sunday.

The black bear seriously injured four men Saturday afternoon in Nyukawa, a small mountain town about 140 miles west of Tokyo, said firefighter Tomohiko Akano.

The 4-foot bear first attacked people at a bus parking lot then entered a lodge where it was trapped in a souvenir shop and shot dead by a hunter, according to media reports.

No one suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack that lasted about an hour, reports said.

A photograph from the scene showed the bear mauling a prone person in a parking lot while a man attempted to scare it off.

The rest stop is on a mountainous road that is open during summer months only to licensed buses and taxis. The area is frequented by tourists for its scenic views.

Akano said bear attacks are very rare in the area.
 
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They allow some firearms, but they are tightly controlled. Perhaps a hunter's "high-powered" rifle is considered less dangerous than evil handguns. The "hunter" could have been someone in employ of the government, too, perhaps the equivalent of a park ranger or something.

I'll bet they got a lot of pictures, too. :evil:
 
The link needs fixing.

For what it's worth wikipedia says the following about Japan's gun situation

"Japan prohibits gun possession by citizens unless sporting or hunting which is limited to shotguns and rifles that are single shot (semi-auto and full auto are restricted to military and police). The gun owners are required to take a class once a year and pass a written test. Police will check on the owner once every 3 months during an unannounced visit, they will inspect the gun locker and proper storage of ammunition and the firearm."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_law#Japan
 
Wow! I didn't know that the Japanese airsofts were deadly enough to kill a b'ar. ;)
 
Gee, someone beat me to the easy photography joke.

I just have to get up earlier. :D

Mine would have been that the bear was annoyed by all of the flashes going off.
 
Dark Knight you jerk!
I just had some ginger ale shoot outta my nose!

HAHA

I figured the park ranger would have just brought him to 8% and threw a Pokeball.

Ash_Big_hold_pokeball.gif
 
Bears have a real bad reputation here in Japan tho I don't know how justified it is. They aren't common either. When I lived up north I did a lot of mountain biking and got really far into the hills. I saw a fair amount of game but never saw a bear. Not even scat. The only Japanese bears I've seen are some Hokkaido brown bears in Ueno Zoo. In fact I've only seen one gun shop in Tokyo and it looks so expensive that I haven't had the guts to go in.
The story is a good example of too strict gun laws. A bear goes beserk and nobody can do anything about it. They were lucky there was a hunter close by cause that isn't too common over here.
 
But guns can hurt things..oh you mean that's the point?

Still though even in America its not like everyone would be whipping out a 1911 on the spot and tearing the bear a new one.
 
My wife's japanese and my in-laws live in Tochigi Prefecture about 2 hrs north of Tokyo. My father-in-law has several break-barrel shotguns. I dunno about the testing requirements stated in that wikipedia excerpt above, but I'm pretty sure he is NOT visited by the police once every three months. But I'm sure the police do have the right, at any time and without a warrant, to come to the house and visually inspect his guns and storage procedures. That doesn't mean they actually do, though.
 
Contrary to American beliefs, it is legal in Japan to own various types of firearms from rifles, shotguns and even pistols.

It is even possible to get a pistol permit for Tokyo -theoretically. I believe that Tokyo only allows 50 total pistol permits, and the holders of these permits never give them up, so it will be a long wait...since there are 12 million people in Tokyo.
 
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