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Flush fund Can Japan’s toilet technology crack global markets? The leading maker of electronic bidets shows the difficulties facing Japanese companies abroad 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. Not the Japanese. Electronic toilets are standard in homes and hotels—and a marvel to visiting Westerners. Toto, by its own estimation the world’s largest maker of bathroom fixtures, has led the technological vanguard. Its “washlet”, first sold in 1980, features directed jets of water and air (pick your temperature), heated seats and deodorisers. The firm is listed in Tokyo, valued at ¥779bn ($5bn). Toto, which still makes about two-thirds of its sales at home, is keen to bring foreign t
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