Japan has banned chicken and poultry meat imports from Britain as a bird influenza epidemic was confirmed there, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Wednesday.

Japan banned the poultry imports from Britain from Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement. Britain reported Tuesday a bird flu case of virulent H5N1 strain found in turkeys in an eastern England farm.

The H5N1 strain is highly pathogenic and has already killed some 200 people worldwide.

According to Japan's farm ministry, Japan imported over 160,000 domestic poultry (all under 185 gram) from Britain in 2006. Britain is an important source of Japan's baby chicken imports.

(Xinhua News Agency November 14, 2007)