In February, bidet-type commodes equipped with built-in washers and pre-warmed seats made news after Japan¡¯s media reported that they were enjoying heady demand by Chinese tourists visiting Japan during the lunar new year holiday.

The reaction to this in Beijing¡¯s state-run media was largely negative. The Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with the Communist Party organ People¡¯s Daily, protested tourists misplaced priorities in a commentary titled ¡°.¡±

The writer denounced such purchases as ¡°making a mockery of China¡¯s boycott of Japanese goods¡± and complained that ¡°Chinese tourists swamping Japanese stores ¡°at a time when the country is facing a sluggish domestic demand is certainly not something to be proud of.¡±