Nearly all Japanese have converted to using seated toilets since 1977 when they first overtook the squatting versions. For future growth, Japan¡¯s largest toilet¡ªmaker Toto Ltd. is looking toward neighboring China.
¡°Just like Japan when I was growing up, not many people owned houses and apartments were small,¡± said President Madoka Kitamura, 58, in an interview at Toto¡¯s main Tokyo showroom. ¡°I believe China will follow the footsteps of developed countries as expansion in the housing market should follow as it exits from an exports-driven economy.¡±
Toto, which has been making ceramic sitting-style toilets in Japan since 1917, is looking to China as sales in Japan stagnate amid a shrinking population. The Kitakyushu¡ªbased company introduced its first ¡°washlet¡± in 1980 ¡ª a toilet which combines a heated seat with an electronically-controlled bidet.
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