Potty wars! Japan’s popular toilet makers set aim on a new target...the American bottom

When the company launched its new kind of toilet seat in the 1980s featuring a small wand that sprays water, the innovation received a cold reception overseas in America. Americans, however, have more recently warmed to the idea of the Washlet, in part, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

At a time when everyone was panic-buying and toilet paper was a hot commodity, Americans in need turned to Toto’s Washlet, according to the report.

The company’s profits in America have grown more than eightfold over the past five years, and they hope to keep the momentum, the company’s president, Shinya Tamura, told the Times.

“I could have never imagined how popular Washlets would become overseas,” Tamura said, noting that the product took a moment to become popular in Japan, too.

When the company first brought its Washlets to America in 1989, it was tough to advertise, Tamura said, recalling immense backlash over a 2007 Times Square billboard displaying a row of naked backsides.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Toto mainly sold Washlets through word-of-mouth marketing. The company’s annual sales in America were below $300 million in the late 2010s, less than half of what it made in China at the same time.

An industry report last year also showed that more than two in five renovating homeowners in the U.S. were choosing to install specialty features, such bidets - which shoot water up a person’s backside to clean instead of using traditional toilet paper.

The product was modeled after a bidet-like device used for medical purposes in the U.S. in the 1960s. When launched in Japan in 1980, it had washing and drying functions, as well as a heated seat. However, over the years, more features have been added, such as deodorizing and automatic flushes.

Now, the company has been left scrambling in response to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Tamura told the Times in an interview published Thursday.

Toto manufactures most of the bidets it sells in the U.S. in Thailand and Malaysia, countries Trump threatened to hit with additional tariffs before a U.S. trade court struck down most of his levies on Wednesday.

However, if the tariffs are imposed, Toto would likely have to raise its prices – at least for American customers, Tamura said.

“Even with tariffs, the United States will be the biggest growth market for us,” Tamura said.

The company hopes to more than double its Washlet sales in the U.S. by the end of 2027. Right now, similar style bidets only account for about 2.5 percent of American toilets, according to the report.

Another goal for Tamura is to win over New Yorkers. He told the Times: “As revenge, I kind of want to try Times Square again.”