Japan reports first bird flu outbreaks of season, culling 340,000 chickens

TOKYO: Japan has detected its first outbreaks of bird flu for the season in 2022, with a "highly pathogenic" strain identified at a poultry farm on the main island of Honshu, while the other outbreak was found on the northern island of Hokkaido.

About 170,000 egg-laying chickens are being exterminated at a farm in Kurashiki city, Okayama Prefecture, the agriculture ministry said on its website on Friday. It also established restricted zones up to 10 km (6.2 miles) from the site.

Around 170,000 egg-laying chickens are also being culled at the farm in Atsuma town in Hokkaido, the ministry said.

The ministry said it is considered that people would not catch avian influenza from eating chicken meat or eggs.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a regular media briefing that all efforts would be made for the necessary quarantine measures.