Business | Flush fund

Can Japan’s toilet technology crack global markets? 

The leading maker of electronic bidets shows the difficulties facing Japanese companies abroad

A man looks at the washlet functions of a TOTO toilet.
Looking for plumb dealsPhotograph: Getty Images

The past century has been one of relentless innovation. But in the West the humble toilet is a curious exception. By the early 20th century, free-standing flush toilets with U-bend plumbing were being installed in homes on both sides of the Atlantic. Americans and Europeans seem to think that the model is still more or less good enough.

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This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Flush fund”

From the November 2nd 2024 edition

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