For subscribers
Japan’s toilet jokes are on you. Innovation is flourishing
Household names like Toto and Ajinomoto are finding success in unexpected niches like semiconductors.
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Toto, better known as the maker of high-tech Washlet toilets, is also making money from producing ceramics for the semiconductor industry.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Gearoid Reidy
Is Japanese manufacturing in the toilet? Absolutely not – though it might be the first place to look to understand how the country’s firms are changing.
One of the most surprising stories in corporate Japan in recent months has been the emergence of semiconductor materials as a significant profit driver at the most unlikely of companies: Toto, better known as the maker of Washlet high-tech toilets.
