TOKYO — Japan is formulating plans to combat the possible spread of foot-and-mouth disease from South Korea during the World Cup.
South Korea, co-hosting the tournament with Japan, is struggling with an outbreak of the livestock disease, which has killed hundreds of pigs and shut down two-thirds of the country's meat markets earlier this week.
Japan's Agriculture Ministry has not yet decided on measures to protect against the spread of the disease as thousands of soccer fans travel between the countries.
"We are concerned about the disease," Agriculture Ministry spokeswoman Iori Watanabe said Thursday. "We will be discussing what precautions should be taken."
Following the recent outbreak in South Korea, Japan banned the import of pigs and other livestock, and now requires visitors who spent time near contaminated South Korean farms to disinfect their shoes at ports of entry.
During a 1996 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Taiwan, people entering Japan from the island had to sterilize their shoes by stepping on antiseptic mats.
Watanabe declined to say whether the mats would be used during the World Cup.
Foot-and-mouth disease spreads rapidly among cloven-hoofed animals such as cows and pigs, but is not dangerous to humans.