Japan foot-and-mouth outbreak
It was later reported that he had three accomplices (two stockbreeders, one office worker) involved in selling specimens both within and outside of Miyazaki Prefecture including Hokkaido, northernmost of the four main islands of Japan.
[6][7] On March 7, 2007, Asahi Shimbun reported that a total of 143 cryo-preserved sperm samples from stud bulls for selective breeding had been stolen from the Livestock Raising Examination Facility in Miyazaki Prefecture.
[Nishinippon Shimbun], and other newspapers reported on March 31 that the veterinarian requested the [Miyazaki Livestock Hygiene Service Center] for diagnosis[8][9] but foot-and-mouth disease symptoms were not evident and no bacterium nor virus that might have caused the diarrhea were found.
Seiichi Hamada (LDP Chief Deputy Chairman of Diet Affairs Committee) suggested to Minister Akamatsu that he should take domestic issues such as FMD seriously and cancel foreign travel.
(article found on May 19) During Akamatsu's absence, Mizuho Fukushima (Consumer Administration/Chairman of Research Commission on Declining Birthrate Issues) was appointed to work on the outbreak as the State Minister in Charge of the AFF Ministry.
[22] Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama participated in a memorial service for Minamata disease (a poisoning caused by industrial mercury pollution) in Kumamoto Pref which is located adjacent to Miyazaki Prefecture.
[citation needed] Bayer, Japan Ltd., provided 1,500 doses of Virkon disinfectant, but it was reported that 500 were seized by Ichiro Ozawa (DPJ's Chief Secretary) and the Foreign Affairs Minister Katsuya Okada.
In the 20 minutes meeting with Ozawa, the Governor Higashikokubaru made 9 requests including full compensations for the affected farmers but ended up being asked for cooperation on the Upper House election in July.
[citation needed] On May 8, the Minister of AFF Akamatsu came back to Japan from the trip to South America (Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia but he participated in a supporters’ meeting for Mr. Yoshitada Tomioka(DPJ) in Sano city in Tochigi Prefecture.
Then, an independent lawmaker Shusaburo Kawamura (1st district, Miyazaki) who belongs to the Democratic Party of Japan faction, approved of Akamatsu and said, "questions are answered concretely.
"[37] On May 11, at the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries,[38] the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Taku Eto described the Miyazaki farmers’ hardships.
The evacuation was carried out within the movement control zone as an exceptional measure endorsed by the central government, after a report of another case of FMD (found on 12 May 2010) in Kawaminami which is 2 kilometers away from the Association in Takanabe town.
Mr. Akamatsu, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries who visited Miyazaki on 10 May 2010, emphasized that the national government will fully cover the loss of livestock, but farmers and people involved remain quite apprehensive about a spate of FMD cases.
Regarding Miyazaki governor Higashikokubaru's remark on the possibility of slaughtering all livestock including the uninfected in a certain area, Hirotaka Akamatsu, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for Japan, said, "I am not sure about killing healthy animals.
[53] However, at a press conference held that day, the Deputy Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda said, "the figure may change and it is not realistic to come up with 100 billion yen" and showed disagreement.
On May 19, the government's FMD Control Response Department announced a "basic countermeasure policy"[65] that includes vaccination and slaughtering all livestock within a 10 km radius of major affected areas.
[66] The Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yasukazu Hamada, Deputy Chairman of Diet Affairs Committee, revealed that the AFF Minister Akamatsu had left Japan regardless of his suggestion to postpone the overseas trip in order to plan for countermeasures against the outbreak.
[67][68] At the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs (No.15), the Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Itsunori Onodera[69] questioned the AFF Minister Akamatsu's trip.
)[71] On May 20, the Vice Farm Minister Yamada in the Ministry of AFF and chiefs from 2 cities and 7 towns including Kawaminami in Miyazaki discussed basic countermeasures on FMD; vaccinating and slaughtering all livestock within a 10 km range.
Although the Vice Farm Minister Yamada had expressed in a previous day's interview that he would seek the farmers’ understanding, he changed the remark after the meeting and said, "vaccination can be carried out without their consent."
Yasumasa Shigeno, Secretary General of the Social Democratic Party (the DPJ's coalition) expressed that Akamatsu was the first to be blamed for the outbreak and the Minister of State for Special Missions Mizuho Fukushima the second, and if their initial actions on the virus were inadequate, they must take the consequences.
[77] The Liberal Democratic Party decided to submit by the following week an exceptional measure bill that the government would fully compensate the affected farmers who had lost their livestock by slaughter.
[80] On May 21, the Japanese government declined an offer by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to send Miyazaki prefecture a specialist team to help contain the virus.
[81] The Democratic Party of Japan decided to submit by the following week an exceptional measure bill that would fully compensate for losses of farmers forced to slaughter their livestock on an estimated cost basis.
[82] Tadafuji, (7 years old, BMS [Beef Marbling Standard] 7.3) one of 6 ace stud bulls who had been evacuated into sheds in the Ohae ranch in Saito city, was confirmed to be infected with FMD as both PCR test results, conducted on May 19 and 20, showed positive and became a culling target.
On May 26, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that the FMD outbreak in Miyazaki prefecture was "the world's worst epidemic in the past ten years" and requested Japanese government to contain the virus nationwide so that it won't spread outside Japan.
"[97][98] An exceptional measure bill drafted based on that of the Liberal Democratic Party to stop further spread of the virus was approved at the House of Representatives Committee on agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
"[106] Associate professor of Gifu University Yasuo Inoshima, who had worked on diagnoses, antibody tests, and protection measures against FMD in Miyazaki prefecture in 2000 as Senior Researcher of the National Institute of Animal Health, said "the virus in 2000 was not as much contagious and they succeeded in containing it back then.
They criticized the prefecture for its asking to save the 49 seed bulls and neglecting to report on the FMD to the central government by saying that "it is not only a betrayal to the sacrificed and all Japanese livestock producers, but also outrageous in view of the epidemiology.
On July 16, a cattle farmer Mr. Komoda (Takanabe town) made an announcement that he approved of slaughtering his prized 6 stud bulls so that the central government could lift restrictions in the infected area.
