Manufacturer Fujirebio can provide 200,000 tests per week and Japanese news agency Kyodo reports that the Government will approve the use of these kits on Wednesday (May 13).

The Japanese Government has faced criticism from some quarters over the number of people it is testing, with nations such as Italy and Germany estimated to be testing more than 10 times as many people relative to the population size.

On Friday (May 8), Japan's Health Ministry relaxed testing guidelines which meant only those with prolonged symptoms or in high-risk groups could be tested.

Japan has so far relied on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which need samples to be sent to laboratories and results therefore take at least several hours to come back.

However, PCR tests are believed to be more accurate than antigen tests.

There have now been more than 16,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Japan and in excess of 600 deaths, with the country under a state of emergency until at least the end of May, but the number of cases would no doubt be higher if more people had access to tests.

Tokyo is one of the worst-hit regions.

COVID-19 cases in Japan have steadily risen since the Olympic and Paralympic Games were postponed in March because of the pandemic, which has hit the United States and parts of Europe even harder.

The virus will need to be contained in Japan if Tokyo 2020 is to go ahead next year as currently planned - either through the development of a vaccine of through thorough testing and contact tracing.

South Korea, where baseball and football are among the sports to have returned behind closed doors, has been praised for its contact-tracing regime.

Germany, where it is hoped the top two football leagues will resume next weekend, has one of the highest testing rates in Europe, although has still recorded more than 7,500 COVID-19 deaths.