Overview
- Hyogo officials said genetic testing on Dec. 16 confirmed H5 highly pathogenic avian influenza after a Dec. 15 report of rising chicken deaths at the farm.
- The prefecture launched a task force at 9 a.m. and began depopulating roughly 240,000 egg‑laying hens, a process expected to take more than a week including disposal and disinfection.
- Authorities set a 3‑kilometer movement restriction for poultry and eggs and a 10‑kilometer shipment restriction, with four vehicle disinfection checkpoints in Himeji and Kasai.
- The cull is the largest on record for Hyogo, according to the prefecture’s announcement.
- Governor Motohiko Saito pledged swift containment to prevent spread to other farms and emphasized that poultry meat and eggs are safe for consumers.