International News
Feeling Flush: Japan’s High-Tech Toilets Go Global
As Japan plays host to a record influx of tourists, one of the country’s more private attractions — the high-tech toilet — is becoming a must-have in luxury bathrooms worldwide.
With their warm seats and precision spray technology, bidet toilets are the norm in Japan, where more than 80 percent of homes have one, according to a government survey.
Now sales are surging abroad and especially in the United States, led by A-list bidet fans such as Drake, the Kardashians and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Japanese company TOTO, which pioneered the electric bidets it claims have sparked “a global revolution from wiping to washing”, says overseas revenue for toilets has roughly doubled from 100 billion yen ($673 million) in 2012.
The pandemic was a key driver, bringing a home-renovation boom but also germ-conscious consumers desperate for an alternative to toilet paper after shelves were cleared by panic-buyers.
Senior TOTO executive Shinya Tamura, who oversees international business, said the brand’s growth has been a word-of-mouth success.
When people first learn how the toilets’ water jets work, with pressure and temperature controls, “there’s an image that it’s not pleasant”.
But “we can’t explain how good it is with words. You need to experience it”, Tamura said.
“After a while, most users can’t live without it.”
The company’s international net sales for housing equipment are currently less than a third of those in Japan.
It wants to boost sales in the Americas by 19 percent over two years to “establish a solid position” there and offset less urgent demand in China.
But with more people in the market for a squeaky clean bum, US competitors are challenging TOTO and its Japanese rivals such as Panasonic and LIXIL for their throne.
‘Smartest toilet’
At a major tech fair in Las Vegas this year, the marketing manager of US brand Kohler called its Numi 2.0 — which takes spoken instructions via an in-built Amazon Alexa — “the smartest toilet that exists”.
Just like top-end Japanese models, the Numi 2.0 has an automatic deodoriser and a motion-activated lid that opens when you enter the bathroom and closes when you leave.
Its spray wand has pulsating and oscillating functions, and users can adjust the warm-air dryer in minute detail.
But such pampering comes at a price: around $8,500 to $10,000, compared to around $500 for more basic bidet seats.
Americans who travel to Japan are often inspired to upgrade their toilet, a salesman at Ardy’s Bath Collection in Beverly Hills told AFP.
“They see it in the airport, and they see it in public restrooms, and they use it, and they’re like, ‘wow, this is great,’” he said.
Bidets are “popular everywhere” but it’s still a “private experience” and “weird to talk about” for some customers.
Although fancy Japanese-style toilets are fast becoming a status symbol, TOTO’s executives have long fought prudishness when trying to expand abroad.
After the US launch of its Washlet bidet in 1986, the firm struggled to place advertisements, and its pop-up event was kicked out of a high-end mall because other stores complained.
‘Does it hurt?’
How things have changed in the share-all internet era.
“Why am I nervous? Does it hurt? Is it cold?” 21-year-old Canadian Spencer Barbosa, who has 10 million TikTok followers, said in a clip of her trying a Japanese toilet.
Superstar rapper Drake made a grand public gesture of gifting his friend DJ Khaled luxury TOTO loos in 2022.
And US congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez joked in an Instagram video last year that she was shopping for a bidet after going to Japan because “life will never be the same”.
Funnily enough, when TOTO first began selling bidets — to hospitals in Japan — it imported them from the United States, but users complained that the stream was unstable.
The company was founded in 1917 as a father and son from a wealthy business family tried to bring Western-style ceramic toilets to Japan.
With sewer systems still undeveloped and squat-style toilets common, the business struggled, so they relied on tableware sales until habits began to change after the 1970 World Expo in Osaka, said Junichi Koga, head of TOTO’s history museum.
More than 300 employees helped develop and test the Washlet by specifying their preferred location for the water jet.
Now, worldwide, TOTO has sold 60 million Washlets — featured in episodes of “The Kardashians” and “South Park”, which parodied the company as “TOOTTOOT”.
As the bidet craze grows, even the trepidatious might be converted in time, the Ardy’s salesman said.
He recommends customers put in the necessary electrics when they remodel their bathroom, telling them: “You could always buy it down the line”.
The FIFA World Cup group stage has concluded, with the Netherlands securing first place in Group F and Japan finishing second. According to the knockout stage bracket, the top two teams from Group F will face the top two teams from Group E.
Two more Round of 32 matchups have been confirmed: Brazil vs. Japan and Netherlands vs. Morocco. The first Round of 16 matchup was announced yesterday, featuring South Africa vs. Canada.
Julian Nagelsmann defended question marks surrounding Germany’s commitment during their defeat by Ecuador, telling journalists: “Please stop the nonsense!”
Germany, already guaranteed top spot in Group E, were beaten 2-1 in their final group outing, as their opponents came from behind to snatch all three points at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Nagelsmann’s side saw their 11-match winning streak brought to an end, while they have now failed to register a clean sheet in any of their last nine games at the finals, equalling their longest streak along with their opening nine matches across 1934 and 1954.
And since the start of the 1998 World Cup, this was just the second time Germany had lost a game at the tournament in which they opened the scoring (W25 D2) following a 1-2 loss to Japan in 2022.
While not impressed by his players’ performance, he was quick to reject claims it was due to a lack of commitment, with their place in the knockout phase already secured.
“Please stop the nonsense, honestly!” Nagelsmann told reporters. “Didn’t the boys want to go full throttle?
“Of course, we made different changes than we might have done in moments when we urgently needed another goal.
“But we can’t tell any player that he didn’t step on the gas, that’s far too striking for me.
“We have to learn that after a good start and an early lead, we can play with more composure, instead of suddenly switching positions too much. We just need to be more patient and stay a bit more structured in our positions.
“We deliberately made a lot of changes. You could see that we also had a few tired legs. You can’t blame anyone for the fact that everything is a little slower and takes longer. We trust every player in the squad, and have to give the players the chance to show that.”
Coincidentally, it was in New York that Germany crashed out of the 1994 World Cup after surrendering a lead, losing 2-1 in the quarter-finals against Bulgaria at the Giants Stadium.
Joshua Kimmich, who won his 113th cap to move to joint-eighth with Philipp Lahm on his nation’s all-time list, conceded the four-time world champions were worthy losers against Ecuador.
“We started well, but then we gave the ball away too cheaply and kept inviting them on,” he added.
“We made it easy for them and let them grow into the game. In the second half, the defeat was deserved.”
Relegated Burnley and West Ham will meet on the opening weekend of the Championship season on Sunday, 16 August.
The Clarets finished 19th in the top flight last season and will host the Hammers, who went down on the final day.
Fellow relegated side Wolves will play the league’s curtain-raiser against Blackburn at Molineux on Friday, 14 August.
Elsewhere, Southampton, who will start the season on minus four points after the Spygate scandal, travel to Watford on the opening weekend and promoted Cardiff welcome Welsh rivals Wrexham on Monday, 17 August.
League One champions Lincoln start the season at beaten play-off finalists Middlesbrough on Saturday, 15 August and third tier play-off final winners Bolton begin the campaign with a home game against Preston on the same day.
The Championship season starts a week after clubs play their first competitive fixture in the first round of the Carabao Cup and one week before the Premier League gets under way.
Burnley, West Ham and Wolves will all be looking to secure Premier League promotions at the first time of asking.
The Clarets have now been relegated from or promoted to the top flight in each of the past four seasons.
However, now less than two months out from the start of the season they remain without a manager following the departure of Scott Parker in May.
West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has remained despite them dropping out of the top flight after 14 seasons.
The Portuguese led Wolves to the Championship title in his one previous season managing at this level in 2017-18.
Wolves finished bottom of the Premier League in 2025-26 and sacked boss Rob Edwards earlier this month to bring in Cesar Peixoto.
They have bolstered their squad with former England defender Kieran Trippier and returning Mexico striker Raul Jimenez.
However, all three will be aware that in both of the past two seasons a team relegated from the top tier has suffered a second successive demotion to League One.
Former Premier League champions Leicester City went the same way as Luton Town had in 2024-25.
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