Bird flu outbreaks strike Japan farms; about 50,000 chickens being culled

This is the 19th bird flu outbreak of the season in Japan. - PHOTO: AFP

TOKYO (AFP): Japanese authorities began culling some 50,000 chickens on Sunday after a bird flu outbreak at a farm in the northern Iwate region.

It is the 19th bird flu outbreak of the season in Japan, the agriculture ministry said.