Japan Introduces New Guidelines to Eliminate Women's Restroom Lines, Mandating Equal or More Toilets Than Men's

(CNA, Tokyo, 12th, Comprehensive Foreign Media Report) To alleviate the long lines at women's restrooms in train stations and commercial facilities, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) adopted a new guideline today stating that "restroom wait times for men and women should be equal," and mandated that the number of toilets for women must be equal to or greater than those for men.

According to reports by the Mainichi Shimbun and the Asahi Shimbun, an MLIT survey pointed out that compared to the total number of men's toilet bowls and urinals, the number of women's toilet bowls is 37% less in train stations, 34% less in airports, and 11% less in movie theaters.

However, the MLIT's new guideline points out that with the increase in female employment, women have more opportunities to use restrooms outside the home. Historically, many public facilities were designed under the assumption that "men use them more frequently." This has led to a discrepancy between the number of toilets and actual usage patterns, resulting in lines.

Taking into account factors such as women needing more time to put on and take off clothing, the MLIT guideline notes that securing adequate restroom space and a sufficient number of toilet bowls is the ideal approach to achieving "substantive gender equality" in wait times.

The new guideline stipulates that in facilities with a roughly equal number of male and female users, the number of women's toilets must, in principle, "equal or exceed" the combined total of men's toilet bowls and urinals. Although the guideline is not legally binding, the MLIT expects it to encourage businesses and administrative agencies to proactively adopt relevant measures. (Translation: Li Jing / Editor: Chen Zheng-jian) 1150612

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