The Japan Tourism Agency intends to establish a subsidy system that encourages municipalities to update public washrooms with Western-style toilets in tourist areas, to address the recent influx of foreign tourists, sources said.
The old Japanese-style squat toilets that many foreigners find difficult to use are still commonly found around Japan. The agency is planning to conduct a fact-finding survey soon and the subsidies could be introduced as early as next fiscal year.
More than 24.03 million tourists visited Japan in 2016, a record high for the fourth year in a row. The government hopes to increase this figure to 40 million by 2020 when Tokyo will host the Olympics and Paralympics.
However, the provision of public toilets has become cause for concern.
There have been reports of confused foreign tourists leaving squat toilets in an unhygienic state, and municipalities have received complaints due to the lack of public washrooms. Many municipalities have approached the agency for advice, according to the sources.