Hardly any other country pays as much attention to hygiene as Japan. Now public toilets are to be adapted to social change. In addition to people with different sexual identities, senior citizens should also benefit.
In Japan’s rapidly aging society, there is a growing need for trash cans for hygiene items in men’s public restrooms. What is taken for granted in women’s toilets, some local governments are now introducing in men’s toilets as well. “I used to put the rubbish in my bag. I would be happy if there were more understanding for such garbage cans,” the newspaper “Sankei Shimbun” recently quoted an affected senior in Katsuragi in Nara Prefecture, where there is one in the town hall container was installed.
While older men who have to wear diapers are in the foreground, menstruating trans people could also benefit from the measures. “Our goal is to achieve an equal society in which all people, regardless of gender, take part in activities in all spheres of society on their own initiative, respect each other’s human rights and share joy and responsibility,” writes the city of Niimi in of Okayama Prefecture on their website.
To that end, the town recently started installing trash cans for hygiene items like diapers in men’s restrooms at City Hall and the City Library. Experts also require such containers for private institutions.
The Japanese have long been known for their creativity and hygiene. Not only are Japanese toilets among the most innovative in the world, the transparent toilets in Tokyo immediately catch the eye, the walls of which only get a rich color when someone enters them. Tourists are also amazed at the cleanliness of public toilets. At the same time, Japan is aging faster than any other industrial nation, which is why the need for products and services for seniors is increasing.
At the same time, the issue of sexual minorities is increasingly gaining public awareness in Japan, even though most LGBTIQ* people keep their sexual identity a secret for fear of discrimination. The English abbreviation stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer people, the asterisk is a placeholder for other identities and genders.