Germany tests coronavirus 17-times more than Japan

At-hospital quarantine policy limits Tokyo's response to outbreak

20200401N Testing in Germany

Germany has conducted 2,023 tests per million people, 17 times more than Japan. © Reuters

JUNTARO ARAI, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- The growing number of coronavirus cases in Japan has brought the country's limited testing into question, with a policy designed to prevent patients with mild cases from flooding hospitals possibly undermining its ability to effectively respond to the outbreak.

Extensive testing to gauge the extent of an outbreak is viewed as crucial to formulating an effective response, and the government is facing growing calls to adjust the rules so that not all who test positive do not have to be quarantined at hospitals.

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