Japan PM admits fault in handling cattle disease

TOKYO - Japan's prime minister admitted fault on Tuesday in the government's efforts to contain a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, which is crippling farmers in a southern prefecture known for its prized beef.

The disease was detected in Miyazaki, southern Japan, on April 20. Since then, authorities have killed 55,000 pigs and 5,000 cows. Officials in Miyazaki said an additional 50,000 pigs and 4,000 cows are to be killed this week.

The government has been criticized for being too slow to respond to the outbreak, Japan's first since 2000. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama acknowledged on Tuesday that Tokyo should have acted sooner to contain the spreading outbreak.