Tokyo has asked Beijing to stop giving Japanese citizens anal swabs when they enter China – because the exam for COVID-19 is causing mental pain.
“Some Japanese reported to our embassy in China that they had had anal smears, which caused great psychological pain,” Katsunobu Kato, the Japanese cabinet chief, told a news conference.
Kato said the government had not yet received a response from Beijing about changing the procedure, adding that it was not known how many Japanese citizens have undergone such tests for the coronavirus, Reuters reported.
Some cities in China used anal samples to look for possible infections, while the country stepped up screening to make sure no potential infection was missed.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing’s testing methods were “science-based” and “consistent with changes in the epidemic situation and relevant laws and regulations.”
The Japanese request comes shortly after the US complained that the Chinese government used anal swabs to test US diplomats.
Beijing has insisted that the butt checks had been carried out “accidentally,” although China’s State Department also denied that US diplomats were required to take the anal tests.
Anal swab tests can prevent missing infections, as viral traces in fecal samples or anal swabs can remain detectable longer than in those of the respiratory tract, Li Tongzeng, a respiratory disease physician in Beijing, claimed in January on state television.