The Cabinet is expected to endorse revisions today to the Wildlife Protection and Hunting Law for submission to the current Diet session, officials at the Environment Agency said Thursday.
The amended Wildlife Preservation and Game Law will empower prefectural governors to "establish plans for the preservation-management of specified wildlife."
Under the proposed bill, governors will be able to create plans to regulate the density and numbers of wildlife in specified areas that have seen dramatic increases or decreases of a particular species, as well as maintain its habitat.
Through scientifically-based plans, the governor can set a target for the ideal number of animals in a region and specify a time period for the adjustment or removal.
The new legislation also gives governors the authority to relax hunting restrictions to control wildlife populations — for example by allowing hunters to bag two animals per day instead of one.
The revision of the 81-year-old law will also modify the nation's hunting license system, allowing owners of an ordinary rifle permit to use air and gas powered firearms — mostly used to kill birds — without applying for specific permits.
Wildlife overpopulation — namely deer, monkeys and some birds — in certain areas of the country have resulted in the destruction of forest undergrowth as well as agricultural damage, agency officials said.