Japan culls 40,000 birds after 1st avian flu outbreak of season reported

TOKYO, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- About 40,000 birds were culled in southern Japan on Sunday after a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak was confirmed, marking the first reported case of avian influenza in Japan during the autumn and winter season this year.

A highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak has been confirmed on a farm in Kashima City of the southern Japanese prefecture of Saga, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries of Japan announced on Saturday.