Japanese media on the 18th and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and
Fisheries reported continued spread of swine fever this year, with eight
confirmed outbreaks across Ibaraki, Gunma and Ehime prefectures and roughly
20,000 pigs culled. The most recent case was confirmed on the 16th at a pig farm
in Kasumigaura, Ibaraki, after an uptick in piglet deaths earlier in the month.
It is Ibaraki’s first swine fever outbreak since 2023; authorities are
investigating whether it is linked to a rise in infected wild boar in the area.
