Diapers and tampons – aging Japan upgrades men’s toilets Writer Hans Magnus Enzensberger has passed away

In Japan’s rapidly aging society, there is a growing need for garbage cans for hygiene products in public men’s toilets. What goes without saying in women’s toilets, some local governments are now also introducing in men’s toilets. “I used to put the waste in my bag. I would be glad if there was more understanding of such bins,” the newspaper “Sankei Shimbun” recently quoted an affected senior citizen in Katsuragi, Nara Prefecture, where such a bin was installed in the town hall. While elderly men who have to wear diapers are in the foreground, menstruating transgender people could also benefit from the measures.

“Our goal is to achieve an equal society in which all people, regardless of gender, participate on their own initiative in activities in all areas of society, respect each other’s human rights and share joy and responsibility,” writes the prefectural city of Niimi Okayama on their website. To that end, the city recently began placing trash cans for hygiene items such as diapers in men’s restrooms at City Hall and the City Library. Experts also need such containers for private institutions.

Hardly any other nation pays as much attention to hygiene as Japan. Not only are Japanese toilets among the most innovative in the world. Tourists are also amazed at the cleanliness of public toilets. At the same time, Japan is aging faster than any other industrialized country, increasing the need for products and services for seniors.

At the same time, the issue of sexual minorities is becoming more and more public 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. (aeg/sda/dpa)