African swine fever, a highly lethal disease that infects pigs, is spreading sharply around the world, and Japan is the only country in East Asia where no outbreak has been confirmed. At Kansai Airport, staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' animal quarantine station inspect arriving luggage to stop the virus entering the country.
The disease has already reached the plate. At a restaurant in Kansai, an all-you-can-eat cured ham menu popular with customers has been suspended because Spanish and Italian ham has become hard to source.
“For now we have stopped the all-you-can-eat offer, and there is still no prospect of restarting it.”Satoshi Kobayashi, restaurant operator
African swine fever is spreading in Europe, including Spain and Italy, as well as in China and Southeast Asia. It does not infect people, but there is no effective vaccine or treatment for infected pigs, which die in about a week, according to the report. Imports from affected countries and regions are restricted.
The restaurant now uses French ham, but its purchase price has risen by about 30%. One customer said he had come to book a table and been told the all-you-can-eat ham was not running, adding that he had not thought the situation was that serious.
Sausages in a black bag
Last month, a Chinese national was arrested on suspicion of smuggling sausages made from pork and other meat from China. Police said she brought in more than 21 kilograms of Chinese-made sausage, hidden in cardboard wrapped in black bags inside her suitcase, and that large quantities of similar sausage were seized.
She was reportedly approached on social media by an unknown person who offered roughly 4,800 yen in success fees to smuggle the meat. She has denied the charge, telling investigators she did not know the product contained meat.
Sniffing out banned goods
Kansai Airport handles large numbers of foreign tourists every day. At its arrival gates, quarantine detector dogs walk among large suitcases, sniffing for meat products and other banned items, and sit down to alert staff when they find something.
There are 140 detector dogs deployed at airports nationwide, and in 2024 they found more than 100,000 banned items. When a dog reacted to three women from Myanmar, staff opened their bags at the counter and found objects wrapped in newspaper. The contents were beef, and pork was also found; all of it was confiscated on the spot.
Most meat products found are souvenirs or food for personal consumption, and many cases involve no ill intent. Mari Iwanaka, deputy head of the animal quarantine station's Kansai Airport branch, said the pathogen can survive however the meat is processed.
“We cannot rule out the pathogen getting into a Japanese livestock farm and causing an outbreak. We have to stop it here.”Mari Iwanaka, deputy head, animal quarantine station's Kansai Airport branch
Last year, more than 100 tons of banned items came close to being brought into Japan, the highest figure on record.
Guarding the herd
Pig farmers share the alarm. At a pig farm in Shiga Prefecture, vehicles entering the site are disinfected, and workers must wear protective clothing and change into dedicated boots before entering a barn. They change clothes again whenever they move to another barn.
“If even one pig gets African swine fever, the animals here now will be culled. Our livelihoods depend on this, so I want to hold it off as far as we can.”Tsubasa Kurao, Kurao Pork
Some farms have mechanized operations, but machines struggle to catch changes in the animals' condition or anything unusual on the farm, so noticing small changes in the pigs is itself a safeguard. Kurao said he watches for pigs that show no interest when a person enters the barn, and that he is always anxious.
“Even with all this, I am always thinking about what happens if it gets in, and I try to stay careful.”Tsubasa Kurao, Kurao Pork