The Cabinet of Ministers said that the authorities were acting in accordance with the recommendations of WHO.
The Japanese government on Monday expressed its dissatisfaction with the statement of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo about the insufficient, according to the U.S. side, number of tests for the new coronavirus conducted by the Japanese authorities.
“We are acting in strict compliance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization,” said Cabinet Secretary General Yoshihide Suga at a press conference in Tokyo. – Some point out that little testing is being done, but there are few people in Japan who have died of infection with the new coronavirus”. Cabinet Secretary General said that Tokyo is carefully explaining the situation to the U.S. authorities through diplomatic channels.
The website of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo has previously posted a statement that the extent of the infection in Japan is difficult to assess, as local authorities have decided not to conduct mass tests for the new coronavirus. The diplomatic mission expressed concern in this regard and encouraged American citizens to begin preparations for their early return to their home country.
In the past 24 hours, more than 300 new cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in Japan, 143 of them in Tokyo. In second place is Osaka Prefecture. In total, the country has recorded over 4.5 thousand cases of infection, including passengers and crew members of the American cruise liner Diamond Princess, which was quarantined for a month in the port of Yokohama. A total of 104 people had died, 10 of whom had died in the previous 24 hours. Over 70 people remain in serious condition in the intensive care units. The Japanese authorities do not carry out mass testing of all comers. Analyses are carried out only in persons with relevant symptoms and in people associated with them to detect chains of infection.
An outbreak of the disease caused by the new coronavirus was recorded at the end of 2019 in Central China, spread to most countries of the world and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on 11 March. According to the latest data, more than 1.1 million people were infected in the world and more than 60 thousand deaths were recorded.