On March 13, Miyazaki prefectural government officials detected symptoms of an outbreak of
hoof-and-mouth disease, a virus-induced ailment that can be fatal to livestock, but it is not communicable to humans.
Some communities have found ways around the deficiency of their rights, such as fencing their lands to stop the spread of
hoof-and-mouth disease - a tactic that also effectively stops the invasion of squatters.
Hoof-and-mouth disease causes blisters to form on animals' hooves and in their mouths, leading to a loss of appetite and eventually death.
The last time an outbreak of
hoof-and-mouth disease occurred in Japan was in 1908, when it was reported in the Kansai and Chugoku regions in western Japan.
Ten head of cattle on a farm in Miyazaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, were recently found to have suspected
hoof-and-mouth disease in the third such discovery since late March, local officials said Monday.
A suspected outbreak of
hoof-and-mouth disease in Japanese cattle could have a damaging impact on Australia's lucrative beef export industry, Australian Cattle Council President Peter Milne said Wednesday.
The Hong Kong government said Thursday it has barred the import of live pigs and cattle from both Japan and South Korea following a suspected outbreak of
hoof-and-mouth disease in the two countries.