The defendant was convicted of killing one rabbit and injuring six ... a poison gas factory of the imperial Japanese military. But in recent years, the island has drawn thousands and thousands ...

The Amami rabbit is found only on the islands of ... rate is about five times slower than other hares living on Japan's main island of Honshu, which usually grow to maturity within a year.

With few natural predators, such as Japanese weasels and foxes, on the island, the rabbits can easily thrive in the environment. As for the injuries confirmed on 10 percent of the rabbit corpses ...

Japan's Environment Ministry ... as a "special natural monument." The island's mongoose population burgeoned to an estimated 10,000 by 1999. The Amami rabbit is a highly protected species.

Japanese police said Thursday that they arrested a man for kicking a rabbit, as authorities probe the deaths of more than 70 bunnies on an island well-known for its large rabbit population.