1. Japanese police squads armed with rifles have begun a campaign to cull bears that appear in populated areas of northeastern Japan. Riot police personnel trained to use firearms to deal with terrorists have been sent there from other prefectures to work with local police.
2. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a stoppage funding bill to reopen the federal government, ending the longest shutdown in US history. Trump signed the bill shortly after its passage in the US House of Representatives.
3. Investigative sources say police have referred actor Hirosue Ryoko to prosecutors over a traffic accident in April that injured a passenger in her car. Police say Hirosue rear-ended a large trailer truck while driving on an expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.