78-year-old man dies of shotgun wound after being mistaken for monkey by hunter

Is there someone here who knows about hunting in Japan ?

Is it authorized to hunt outside of specified zones if it's for culling ?

I would think not. In which case the guy was totally reckless.

I’m curious what sort of rounds he was using in his shotgun. A shotgun is a short-range weapon and only lethal for 10-20m or so depending on the type of shell. This means the hunter had to be pretty close to fir a lethal shot. It is possible he was using a heavier round like an SG (4 pellets), which are used for skeet shooting. It’s unlikely he was using solid rounds. They are lethal, but not accurate.

There us is something wrong with the shooter’s version of events too. He states he chased the monkey. Why would his neighbor be running through the bush. I hope the cops investigate the relationship between these two something seems odd

I know this area area quite well and there aren’t too many monkeys there. There are some, but not as many as other areas. I think the question of negligence by the shooter is beyond doubt, but the true circumstances of the shooting seem gray.

78-year-old man dies of shotgun wound after being mistaken for monkey by hunter

WRONG! It's a guy who got killed because the shooter did NOT properly identify his target prior to firing.

Sounds like he fired blind here!

Police said Masaru Takahashi, 67, who has a license to use firearms for hunting, has been charged with negligence resulting in death after he shot Hisashi Mori with a shotgun. Sankei Shimbun reported that the incident occurred at around 5 p.m. Thursday. Hunters have been culling wild monkeys in the mountain forest recently.

This is negligence, plain and simple! As a former hunter, you NEVER pull the trigger without identifying your target FIRST, NEVER!

Found this in the Sankei article: サルが１５匹くらい見えたので一番大きいサルに向かって１発撃ったら人に当たってしまった」"I saw about 15 monkeys so I fired off a shot towards the biggest of them, and somehow I hit a person." (he said)

Oops, here:  https://news.goo.ne.jp/article/sankei/nation/sankei-afr1806150009.html

In which case the guy was totally reckless.

The guy was reckless because he shot at a target that he couldn't clearly see.

Well, Japan's gun death rate just went up thanks to this clown. Seriously, stop giving these old guys licenses to 'hunt'. You hear about guys shooting at crows who shoot into people's houses, people popping off rounds like Dick Cheney at others, and now this.

who has a license to use firearms for hunting

correction: who HAD a license

Found this in the Sankei article: サルが１５匹くらい見えたので一番大きいサルに向かって１発撃ったら人に当たってしまった」"I saw about 15 monkeys so I fired off a shot towards the biggest of them, and somehow I hit a person." (he said)

I think in this case I would translate 当たってしまった as 'accidentally hit' rather than 'somehow hit'.

Unless Mori suffered from severe prognathism and/or severe hirsutism, was about 3'2" tall and weighed 20-25kgs, I reckon Takahashi should spend a fair bit of time behind bars.

….sounds like this "hunter" has a few screws loose, as Do the Hustle correctly points out a shotgun is NOT an appropriate weapon for shooting something like a monkey....

Since most game that would be hunted in Chiba would be birds like ducks or pheasant that would explain why this goofball had a shotgun around....

Hopefully anyone who is supposed to be culling monkeys has a rifle the shoots BULLETS instead of pellets or they aren't going to do much except maybe wound some which is just irresponsible!

Strangerland, yes that would be fine too, or "I went and shot a human being!", "I ended up shooting a human being by mistake!"

Here in the US a lot of interpersonal conflicts are resolved during hunting season.

Sometimes in my country, 8-10 Miller High Lifes have been known to convince a hunter that an old lady hanging up her laundry in her backyard is an 8-point buck.

Are hunters required to pass a sight test before getting their licence?

This bloke should be charged with murder.

Again! It seems that elderly hunters should give up their shotguns. It is almost like some elderly drivers running reversely on highway.

This guy is reckless and more than a little stupid. Maybe it's the Native American in my family tree but hunting should be subsistence. Just killing animals for the heck of it is reckless, wasteful and dumb. Even if there were 15 monkeys around and you want to scare them off, couldn't you just fire a warning shot to drive them away? Now a man is dead because of somebody's carelessness.

Identify first, then aim & shoot.

If you don't identify first, you never know what or who it might be until it's too late.

Those monkeys are probably a mess after getting blasted by a shotgun. People too.

Do the hustleJune 15  04:29 pm JST I’m curious what sort of rounds he was using in his shotgun.

This story doesn't make any sense. To kill a human being with a shotgun, you have to be almost on top of them. Even with a tight choke pattern, the effective accuracy of bird load is about 40 yards. Obviously, what can kill a bird at 40 yards wouldn't likely kill a human.

Now, if the gun was loaded with a slug, the range is much greater. However, if you were monkey hunting with a slug loaded shotgun, why wouldn't you just use a rifle, which has much greater accuracy and could be a small as .22 caliber?

Old people should be screened for disabilities when they buy or want to use guns.

Wonder if it was some sort of neighborhood feud ?