TOKYO: Avian flu has been confirmed at a chicken farm in Akita prefecture in northeastern Japan, prompting the culling of around 1,43,000 birds, according to the prefectural government. It was confirmed through genetic testing at a chicken farm in Yokote following a simple test the day before that revealed the stock was positive for avian influenza.

According to reports, the Akita prefectural government has banned the delivery of chickens or eggs from farms within 10 kilometres of the affected farm and has requested that the Self-Defense Force send troops to assist in the resolution of the issue.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida requested that information be collected and that the farm ministry and other government agencies work together to take prompt and comprehensive preventative measures. A veterinarian reported to local health officials on Tuesday morning that the number of chickens dying at a farm in Yokote was increasing. According to the prefectural government, a simple test given to 13 of the farm's chickens revealed that 12 of them tested positive for avian flu.

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