It was learned on the 10th that the virus causing foot-and-mouth disease, which produces symptoms such as blisters and fever in cattle and pigs, was detected in January during quarantine at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido. It was found in goat meat that a passenger departing from Beijing, China, and arriving at the airport had attempted to bring in, marking the first time an infectious virus has been confirmed through quarantine. The Animal Quarantine Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had announced the confirmation of this virus on its website in April. The virus has not entered the country, and foot-and-mouth disease is highly contagious to livestock, with high mortality rates among calves and piglets. In Japan, an outbreak occurred in Miyazaki Prefecture in 2010, but no infections have been confirmed since then. Outbreaks have also occurred in nearby China, South Korea, Mongolia and elsewhere in 2026, and border control measures are being strengthened.
Foot-and-mouth virus found in quarantined goat meat heightens disease threat to pigs, which are highly susceptible with high piglet mortality.
Foot-and-mouth virus detected in imported goat meat at New Chitose quarantine raises risk of livestock disease outbreak, threatening cattle supply.
