"A suspicious case was detected at a poultry farm in the city of Gyoda. Today, as a result of a detailed inspection, infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed," the administration said in a statement.
The statement also said that the culling of about 3,000 ducks at the poultry farm was already underway and that the local authorities introduced a quarantine on birds transportation within a 3-kilometer (1.8 miles) radius.
The disinfection of the fowl-farm and its equipment is expected to be completed by January 29, it added.
Taking into account the latest outbreak, the number of chickens culled in Japan this season is approaching 11 million, which is an all-time high for Japan. In the season before last, from November 2020 to the end of March 2021, during which Japan's poultry industry suffered the most extensive damage due to bird flu, 9.87 million chickens were culled, and there were 52 outbreaks in 18 prefectures.
Experts explain the outbreak by the fact that migrating birds have returned earlier than usual this year and infection was spreading fast across regions. Bird flu has caused the price of chicken eggs — already high amid inflation and soaring prices for food products — to spike to its 29-year peak.