Authorities culled about 4,000 chickens in south-western Japan early Tuesday after a highly pathogenic strain of H5 avian influenza was found in three birds, local media reported.
Miyazaki prefectural officials culled all the chickens at a farm in Nobeoka city, the country's top poultry producing region, the Kyodo News agency reported.
The local government told nearby poultry farms to restrict the movements of livestock.
Sixteen birds died at the farm on Monday, of which three tested positive for bird flu in preliminary tests, the report said.
The case was the country's first since April, when 110,000 chickens were culled in neighbouring Kumamoto prefecture after a bird flu case was detected there.
In 2011, about 1 million chickens were culled in Miyazaki prefecture as H5 avian influenza spread in the region.
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