Overview
- The Hokkaido Public Safety Commission, which visited Haruo Ikegami’s home Thursday, apologized in person and handed back his shotgun.
- The firearm can be used again once he completes the standard renewal paperwork, according to his attorney.
- The Supreme Court in March canceled the commission’s revocation, calling the punishment excessively harsh and noting the public-safety value of the shot.
- Ikegami, 77, leads the Sunagawa branch of the Hokkaido Hunters’ Association and culled a brown bear at the city’s request in 2018 with a single rifle shot.
- The commission had argued he fired toward buildings in violation of Japan’s gun law, and the outcome may shape how authorities handle permits in future bear-control calls.