Man Disabled in Bear Cull Shooting; Town Seeks Damages from Hunter

From TV Asahi News via Yahoo! Japan

December 13 2025

YAMAGATA – A town has decided to file a lawsuit against a hunter who accidentally fired a shot while culling a bear.

In April two years ago, in Oguni Town, Yamagata Prefecture, a bullet fired by a hunter engaged in a bear extermination operation struck another man in the leg, causing serious injuries that resulted in permanent aftereffects.

The injured man has filed a lawsuit against the town, seeking approximately 30 million yen in damages.

The town has so far paid more than 16.63 million yen to the injured man in compensation and related costs. On the 10th, the town assembly approved a resolution to seek reimbursement of the full amount from the hunter who fired the shot accidentally.