Feeling flush: Japan's high-tech toilets go global

KITAKUYUSHU, Japan — As Japan plays host to a record influx of tourists, one of the country's more private attractions -- the high-tech toilet -- is becoming a must-have in luxury bathrooms worldwide.

With their warm seats and precision spray technology, bidet toilets are the norm in Japan, where more than 80 percent of homes have one, according to a government survey.

Now sales are surging abroad and especially in the United States, led by A-list bidet fans such as Drake, the Kardashians and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Japanese company TOTO, which pioneered the electric bidets it claims have sparked "a global revolution from wiping to washing", says overseas revenue for toilets has roughly doubled from 100 billion yen ($673 million) in 2012.

The pandemic was a key driver, bringing a home-renovation boom but also germ-conscious consumers desperate for an alternative to toilet paper after shelves were cleared by panic-buyers.

Senior TOTO executive Shinya Tamura, who oversees international business, told AFP the brand's growth has been a word-of-mouth success.

When people first learn how the toilets' water jets work, with pressure and temperature controls, "there's an image that it's not pleasant".

But "we can't explain how good it is with words. You need to experience it", Tamura said.

"After a while, most users can't live without it."

The company's international net sales for housing equipment are currently less than a third of those in Japan.

It wants to boost sales in the Americas by 19 percent over two years to "establish a solid position" there and offset less urgent demand in China.

But with more people in the market for a squeaky clean bum, US competitors are challenging TOTO and its Japanese rivals such as Panasonic and LIXIL for their throne.

At a major tech fair in Las Vegas this year, the marketing manager of US brand Kohler called its Numi 2.0 -- which takes spoken instructions via an in-built Amazon Alexa -- "the smartest toilet that exists".

Just like top-end Japanese models, the Numi 2.0 has an automatic deodoriser and a motion-activated lid that opens when you enter the bathroom and closes when you leave.

Its spray wand has pulsating and oscillating