TOKYO– Police in Japan can from Thursday use rifles to shoot bears after strict gun laws were revised to help authorities battle a spate of fatal attacks that also prompted the US embassy in Tokyo to issue a “wildlife alert”.

A record 13 people have been killed by the animals across the country since April, with incidents reported on an almost daily basis of bears entering homes, roaming near schools and rampaging in supermarkets.

The government is scrambling to deal with the surge in maulings, which scientists say is being driven by a fast-growing bear population combined with this year’s bad acorn harvest and a falling human population.

The northern regions of Akita and Iwate, where most of the attacks have taken place, held a ceremony on Thursday for riot police, who will now be allo

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