Pictograms on Japanese electric toilets OK'd as global standard

Pictograms on how to use Japanese electric toilets have been registered as a global standard, the government said Monday, in a step aimed at making such signs more familiar to the growing number of foreign tourists visiting the country.

Six kinds of pictograms -- showing instructions on which buttons to press when operating a high-tech Japanese toilets -- have been recognized by the International Organization for Standardization, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The pictograms, designed by a Japanese industrial body of toilet makers, include those for "strong flush," "bidet" and "raise/lower the lid." Tweet

Japan's legislature sees first coronavirus infection (Japan Times) A member of the House of Representatives has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was admitted to a hospital, the Lower House’s secretariat said Friday, the first confirmed infection of a Japanese lawmaker.

Olympics: Tokyo Games athletes to be exempted from virus entry bans (Kyodo) The Japanese government has decided to set up a system to exempt athletes competing at next year's Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games from entry restrictions currently placed on 159 countries and regions due to the novel coronavirus that forced the games' postponement, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.

'Suganomics' will target quick wins, not grand visions (Japan Today) Japan's new prime minister will pursue economic structural reforms through a mixed bag of policies that target specific industries, rather than a grand strategy to reshape society and boost long-term growth.