If Japan were not doing enough testing, you would expect to see a high positivity rate on PCR tests. But positivity rates have been relatively low. Well under 1

If Japan were not doing enough testing, you would expect to see a high positivity rate on PCR tests. But positivity rates have been relatively low. Well under 10% since April, and even under 5% for much of the year [1]. A 5% positivity rate or lower is the WHO’s recommendation for when countries can begin to loosen restrictions [2]. Currently the rate is above 5% in Japan which is a concern. We are starting to see the government take measures to curb the spread, by suspending “Go To Travel” subsidies over New Years for example. And they have said they will do more if necessary. And fortunately growth seems to at least have leveled off a bit in recent weeks. [1] https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/positive-rate-daily-smoothed?tab=chart&time=earliest..latest&country=~JPN&region=Asia https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/positive-rate-daily-smoot... [2] https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/articles/covid-19-testing-understanding-the-percent-positive.html https://www.jhsph.edu/covid-19/articles/covid-19-testing-und...