Home of the hi-tech toilet offers technological support to help Xi Jinping in his mission to update lavatories across the country

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Japan has reportedly offered its expertise in the subject of hi-tech toilets to China to help the nation on its mission to revolutionise lavatories across the country.

In high-level meetings on Sunday and Monday, officials from China and Japan pledged to improve ties, from cooperating on North Korea to avoiding a global trade war, and potentially working together on infrastructure projects around the world.

Xi Jinping makes China's toilets a number two priority Read more

But infrastructure of a different kind was also on the agenda. Japan’s embassy in Beijing has reportedly been in talks with Chinese officials about Japanese support of China’s so-called toilet revolution.

According to the Nikkei Asian Review, Japan’s ministry of foreign affairs, as well as two other ministries, have been seeking ideas from private companies including the inventor of the washlet, Toto, for how to help China.

The idea was previously raised in December when Toshihiro Nikai, secretary general of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic party, visited the Chinese communist party’s central party school in Beijing and proposed new areas of cooperation, including hygiene and quality toilets.

Sino-Japanese toilet cooperation takes place as the two countries promise to reset relations that have been disrupted by territorial disputes. Japan has deployed toilet diplomacy in India and south-east Asia but its toilets have failed to catch on in major markets like the US.

In 2015, Xi launched a nationwide campaign to replace many of China’s squat toilets for foreign tourists as well as for domestic use. Xi described the mission as part of his country’s “revitalisation” and an important measure to “improve quality of life of the masses”.

China’s National Tourism administration said it would build or upgrade at least 64,000 toilets between 2018 and 2020. In February state news agency Xinhua reported that China’s toilet revolution was “right on track”, with new bathrooms installed on most of the country’s high speed trains.

There have still been hiccups. In January the tourism administration asked local officials to stop spending so much on toilet projects. A public toilet in the western city of Chongqing reportedly cost 1 million yuan (about £100,000).

“We don’t need local governments trying to outdo each other with five-star toilets,” Li Jinzao, director of the administration said in a news conference.