Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association: Japan's warm water shower toilet seat shipments reached 100 million sets

Committed to promoting buttock cleaning culture for more than 50 years

- Pursuing cleanliness, comfort and efficiency, and contributing to a comfortable restroom culture

The Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. President: Noriaki Kiyota [TOTO Ltd. President and Representative Director], hereinafter referred to as the "Association"), consisting of Japanese companies engaged in toilet manufacturing, is proud to announce, Since the industry started tracking statistics (1987), as of June 2022, the shipment of warm water shower toilet seats has reached 100 million sets.

The road to 100 million sets

In 1964, Japan began to import and sell toilets and toilet seats with warm water cleaning function, triggering a major change in the way "buttock cleaning" in Japanese toilets.Initially, such products were sold to medical institutions and were not widely used.Later, Japan began to produce similar products, and companies launched a number of measures including product development improvement and sales promotion to encourage ordinary households to use them.Eventually, after a TV commercial in 1982, more Japanese residents gradually became aware of these products.Once people experience the comfort of a warm toilet seat and the refreshing satisfaction of cleaning their buttocks, they can't live without it.With the continuous spread of good word of mouth, these products are finally generally accepted by the public.

Association member companies are constantly working to improve these products and promote their widespread use by making new recommendations and updating them based on feedback from consumers on multiple fronts, including functionality, comfort, hygiene, design and energy efficiency.In 2022, the current use rate of such products in ordinary households has exceeded 80%, which means that we can finally predict that these products will be used in the vast majority of ordinary households with flush toilets.Likewise, due to their good reputation for comfort, warm water shower toilet seats are also widely used in public places such as office buildings, commercial facilities, hotels, trains and railway stations, etc.

Japanese bathroom essentials

According to the association's 2022 perception survey of Japanese warm water shower toilet seat users, the main reason users use this product is "it is hygienic and has a good user experience." In addition, 97% of respondentsExpressing a willingness to continue flushing toilet seats with warm water indicates that once users start using these products, they feel very comfortable and do not want to give up.

Meanwhile, outside of Japan, demand from other countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Middle East has grown in recent years as people become more concerned about hygiene, and the international market for warm water shower toilet seats has also grown.expanding year by year.Especially in 2020, the sudden rise in demand in North America has also led to expectations that these products will be more widely used in the near future.

The Association and its members (Japanese shower toilet seat manufacturers) are committed to truly improving restroom culture around the world by promoting hygienic and comfortable shower toilet seats in every country.

Cognition survey of users of warm water shower toilet seats

Survey Method: Online Questionnaire
Survey Objects: 10 to 79-year-old warm water toilet seat users living in Japan, 150 respondents per age group, 2,100 respondents in total
SurveyTime: February 4, 2022 (Friday) to February 7, 2022 (Sunday)

[Summary of findings]

The main reason for using this product is "It's hygienic and it's a good experience."
When asked why they use a warm water shower toilet seat, most respondents said "It's very goodto clean up my excrement and keep me clean” (82%), and nearly half of the respondents said it was “good and refreshing” (48%).

97% of respondents said they "will continue to use".
Regarding the question of whether they intend to continue using the warm water toilet seat in the future, 86% of the respondents indicated that they would continue to use it, and 11% of the respondents indicated that they could continue to use it.

Learn more about the Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association

The Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association is an industry organization of toilet equipment manufacturers that produce products such as sanitary equipment (large and small toilets) and warm water cleaning toilet seats.
The Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association operates the JAPAN TOILET INFORMATION website, which is dedicated to providing foreign tourists with information (how to use, signs, etc.) about the condition of toilets in Japan.

[Member companies (as of June 2022, in alphabetical order)]

Aisin Corporation, Asahi Eito Co., Ltd., Janis Ltd., Lixil Corporation, Panasonic Holdings Corporation, SAN-EI Faucet Mfg Co., Ltd, Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation, TOTO Ltd.

Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association - Single Year and Cumulative Shipments (Graphic: Business Wire)