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”.
A Nigerian man and registered sex offender, Babatunde Odutola, has been sentenced to prison in the UK after exposing himself and masturbating in front of a woman on a train heading to Manchester.
Odutola, 36, who has no fixed address, was sentenced to 44 weeks in prison at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday, September 14, after pleading guilty to outraging public decency and violating a suspended sentence order.
The incident took place around 7 p.m. on Friday, September 11, on a train traveling through Cheshire towards Manchester Piccadilly railway station.
According to the British Transport Police, Odutola approached a woman on the train, looked her up and down, and became aggressive when she refused to engage with him.
He then exposed himself while sitting in a wheelchair and began masturbating while staring at the woman and telling her to “come over.”
A fellow passenger intervened and helped escort the distressed woman from the carriage. Police reports indicate that CCTV footage showed Odutola continuing to masturbate as other passengers walked through the carriage.
British Transport Police officers arrested him after the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly. He was prosecuted and jailed within 72 hours of the incident.
Detective Constable Leonidas Christoforou of the British Transport Police stated that Odutola’s behavior was “terrifying” for the victim, whom he allegedly targeted while she was traveling alone.
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has declined Nigeria’s request for an upward review of its 2027 Hajj allocation, leaving the country’s quota unchanged despite growing demand from intending pilgrims nationwide.
The Commission disclosed that it had formally engaged the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, seeking additional pilgrimage slots to accommodate the increasing number of Nigerian Muslims desirous of undertaking the sacred journey and to address appeals from several state pilgrims’ welfare boards for enhanced allocations.
However, Saudi authorities communicated their inability to grant additional slots, citing capacity limitations, structural constraints within the holy sites, and the Kingdom’s policy of strict adherence to approved country quotas under the current operational framework.
Consequently, Nigeria’s allocation for the 2027 Hajj exercise remains fixed at 35,000 slots for government pilgrims and 15,000 slots for licensed tour operators, bringing the country’s total approved allocation to 50,000 pilgrims.
Commenting on the development, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NAHCON, Ambassador Ismail Abba Yusuf, said the Commission fully understands the disappointment the decision may cause many aspiring pilgrims and state pilgrim boards that had hoped for additional allocations.
According to him, the Commission explored all available diplomatic and operational channels in pursuit of an increased quota but respects the final decision of the Saudi authorities.
“We appreciate the deep spiritual desire of many Nigerian Muslims to perform Hajj and understand the expectations of states and stakeholders seeking additional slots. While every effort was made to secure an upward review, the Saudi authorities have communicated their final position based on operational realities and capacity considerations,” Ambassador Yusuf stated.
The NAHCON Chairman urged state pilgrims’ welfare boards, agencies and licensed tour operators to make judicious and transparent use of their approved allocations while ensuring strict compliance with all timelines established by the Commission and the Saudi Nusuk platform.
He emphasized that the deadline for uploading the data of all prospective pilgrims for the 2027 Hajj exercise remains September 26, 2026, warning that no extensions would be granted under any circumstance.
“Kindly note that the deadline for uploading prospective pilgrims’ data remains September 26, 2026. We urge all partners, state pilgrim boards, tour operators and representatives to ensure that all required information is submitted before this date, as no extensions will be granted,” he said.
Ambassador Yusuf further advised intending pilgrims who may be unable to secure a slot under the approved 2027 allocation not to lose hope, revealing that preparations for the subsequent pilgrimage season have already commenced.
“Individuals who were unable to secure a slot for the upcoming Hajj are encouraged to register for the 2028 Hajj. The Commission has officially opened the registration portal for this period, and applications are now being accepted,” he added.
South African police have arrested five suspects after rescuing a 25-year-old e-hailing driver who was allegedly kidnapped, raped and held for ransom in Cape Town.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said in a statement on Sunday that Steenberg police rescued the driver after he was allegedly raped by two female suspects and held at ransom by the group.
Police were alerted by the victim’s brother after the suspects contacted him and demanded R4,000 in cash for the driver’s release.
According to SAPS, the police used the victim’s vehicle tracker to locate him at Southampton Road in Heathfield, where he was rescued.
“Steenberg police rescued a 25-year-old e-hailing driver after he was raped and held at ransom by two female suspects and three males yesterday,” the police said.
The victim had reportedly met one of the female suspects the previous week through his e-hailing business.
According to police, the two exchanged telephone numbers and communicated throughout the week before arranging to meet.
“When he went to meet her, he was kidnapped by the suspects and the females raped him,” SAPS said.
Police subsequently arrested the two female suspects, aged 23 and 34, as well as three male suspects aged 16, 42 and 48.
The five suspects are expected to appear before the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday, September 14, 2026.
SAPS said they would face charges relating to the alleged kidnapping and rape.
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