Tokyo has made a formal request to Beijing to exempt Japanese citizens from COVID-19 anal swabs as it caused psychological distress, a government spokesperson said on Monday.

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato added they have not received a response from Beijing yet, but Tokyo would work hard on the issue.

Asked about the intervention, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Beijing’s testing methods were “science-based” and “in accordance with the changes in the pandemic situation as well as relevant laws and regulations.”

The U.S. state department has protested directly to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week after they learned that some diplomats were subjected to the intrusive tests. The spokesperson added that it was told by Beijing that the test was given “in error.”

Beijing later denied that it had required American envoys to undergo anal swabs.

China introduced anal swab tests in January, which involve inserting a cotton swab 3 to 5 cm into the anus and rotating it to get a specimen.

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