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Tag - toilets

 
 

TOILETS

A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Jun 29, 2026
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men¡¯s restrooms
The need to change pads and adult diapers has become a daily concern for some men as not only older people, but also some cancer patients can experience incontinence.
Toto is going back to normal delivery schedules as the supply outlook for raw materials has improved.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2026
Toto to fully resume bathroom orders as supply concerns ease
The company is going back to normal delivery schedules as the supply outlook for raw materials has improved.
Toto will prepare a production environment where "we can respond to demand properly,¡± Chief Technology Officer Ryosuke Hayashi said in an interview.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2026
Toilet-maker Toto hikes capital expenditures to meet AI demand for its ceramics
The company is capitalizing on an unexpected surge in demand from chip gear makers seeking ceramics able to withstand dirt particles, corrosive materials and high temperatures.
The Toto Museum in Kitakyushu. Toto has suspended new orders for its prefabricated bathrooms due to a shortage of materials.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 13, 2026
Toto halts bathroom orders after Iran war upends supply chain
The firm joins a growing list of Japanese manufacturers who have cut production or hiked prices due to tightening supplies of naphtha.
The Artemis II crewed lunar mission lifts off from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on April 1.
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 6, 2026
On NASA¡¯s moon mission, the biggest headache has been the toilet
Getting the complicated piece of equipment, known as the Universal Waste Management System, to work properly during the flight has become a recurring issue.
Most of Japan's toilet paper is produced domestically, using recycled paper and pulp, with no reliance on the Middle East.
JAPAN
Mar 23, 2026
Japan tries to head off toilet paper panic amid Iran war fears
About 97% of toilet paper is produced domestically, according to the Japan Household Paper Industry Association, with no reliance on the Middle East.
Activist fund Palliser Capital has taken a stake in Japanese washlet maker Toto, and is urging the company to boost promotion of its little-known chip parts business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 17, 2026
Activist Palliser takes stake in toilet maker Toto in AI play
Toto¡¯s advanced ceramics segment produces electrostatic chucks used in the manufacturing of NAND memory chips.
Toto shares surged as much as 11% Thursday, its steepest rise since February 2021.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 22, 2026
Toilet maker Toto¡¯s shares get unlikely boost from AI rush
Known for its heated toilet seats, Toto?has for decades been part of the semiconductor and display supply chain via its advanced ceramic parts and films.
Even with Japan's first female prime minister, the Lower House's 73 women must share a single two-stall restroom near parliament's main plenary session hall, showing how politics remains male dominated in the nation.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 31, 2025
Female lawmakers call for more toilets in Japan¡¯s parliament building
There is only one restroom containing two stalls for the Lower House¡¯s 73 women to use near parliament¡¯s main plenary session hall in central Tokyo.
A toilet fitted with a portable toilet system. After use, waste is collected in a black disposal bag and treated with an absorbent.
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2025
Japanese group calls for emergency portable toilets to meet its standards
A nonprofit called Japan Toilet Labo has created a recommendation mark for emergency-use toilets that are compliant with its standards and encourages manufacturers to display it.
Electrical problems with pumps supplying water to facilities were behind a blockage of most of the toilets in Tokyo International Airport's?Terminal 2 on Friday, a spokesperson?for Japan Airport Terminal said.
JAPAN
Nov 28, 2025
Toilet turmoil at Haneda Airport terminal
Electrical problems with pumps supplying water to facilities were behind a blockage of most of the toilets in Haneda Airport¡¯s?Terminal 2, an airport operator spokesperson said.
Bontan Ame candies are promoted at a convenience store in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward in August, with advertising slogans recommending concert and moviegoers to take the sweet with them.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Oct 27, 2025
Bontan Ame gains popularity for rumored powers to suppress the urge to pee
Articles compiling the locations in Japan where people can get Bontan Ame can be found on South Korean websites.
Unisex restrooms with Western-style flush toilets are set to be introduced at construction sites operated by Daito Trust Construction.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 15, 2025
Daito Trust to upgrade construction site toilets in gender diversity bid
The company is aiming to create a more comfortable sanitary environment amid a labor shortage and hoping to increase the female employment rate.
The "Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion" at the Osaka Expo on Thursday. Fukuyama in Hiroshima Prefecture aims to relocate the pavilion to a site in the city after the event ends on Oct. 13.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2025
Reuse pavilions and equipment, Osaka Expo organizer urges
The organizer is encouraging local governments and companies to reuse buildings and equipment including air conditioners and lighting.
Japan¡¯s high-tech toilets, from bidets to innovative public lavatories, offer a unique lens through which to explore the country¡¯s culture, technology and even soft power.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 16, 2025
¡®Perfect Days¡¯ spent pondering the Japanese potty
The Japanese toilet is an engineering and technological marvel that transforms daily ablutions.
The system launched this month by Japanese toilet giant Toto links consumers up with existing internet-connected facility management systems.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 28, 2025
Need to pee? Japan has QR code for that.
Users can scan a QR code with their phones to access a website showing restroom locations and live congestion levels.
Currently, there are guidelines on the number of toilets at public restrooms set by the health ministry and recommended by academics, respectively.
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2025
Government aims to shorten long lines at women¡¯s restrooms
In the year from April, the infrastructure ministry will compile advanced solutions to congestion in women¡¯s rooms already in place at train stations and commercial facilities.
Some students avoid using school restrooms altogether because of traditional squat toilets, a survey has found.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2025
For incoming first graders, a major hurdle awaits ¡ª Japanese squat toilets
According to one survey by the education ministry, roughly 1 in 4 students said they were unable to use the traditional toilets.
Many Japanese companies like Toto have quietly shifted from consumer-facing products like toilets to specialized, high-value industries such as semiconductor materials, proving that Japan's innovation remains strong despite its lower global visibility.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 21, 2025
Japan¡¯s toilet jokes are on you. Innovation is flourishing.
One of the most surprising stories in corporate Japan in recent months has been the emergence of semiconductor materials as a significant profit driver at Toto.
A toilet container transported to the roadside station Anamizu for disaster relief in the aftermath of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, on Jan. 12, 2024, in Anamizu Town, Ishikawa Prefecture
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2025
Japan to help roadside stations install portable containers for disaster use
Portable containers installed at evacuation centers after the earthquake on the Noto Peninsula in January 2024 were used for multiple purposes, including as medical offices.

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