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NISHINOMIYA, Hyogo -- A movement to place sanitary disposal boxes in men's restrooms is spreading across Japan as people have become more aware about men who use bladder control pads and diapers due to aging or side effects of prostate cancer treatment, among other reasons.
Creating an environment where such people can dispose used products on the spot is becoming ever more important. The movement was started by Takako Otani, a Japan Marrow Donor Program councilor who pushed for the program's establishment.
The 61-year-old from the Saitama Prefecture city of Kazo was shocked to hear freelance announcer and bladder cancer survivor Tomoaki Ogura, 75, explain on a video sharing platform that "there's nowhere to throw away incontinence pads" in June 2021. She didn't know at the time that most men's restrooms, except for multipurpose bathrooms and hospital toilets, do not have sanitary bins.
Otani spoke about the issue to reporters and lawmakers she knew, and called for measures in a column she contributed for the Saitama Shimbun newspaper in January 2022, writing, "Let's do something about it before we suffer from similar problems." Her article gained huge traction online, and when a lawmaker picked up the issue, the movement to install disposal boxes in men's bathrooms spread among municipal government buildings across Japan, and later to private companies.
According to a survey by the National Cancer Center Japan, the number of prostate cancer patients stood at 92,021 in 2018 and is on the rise, ranking as the most common type of cancer affecting men in the country. Treatment can cause side effects including urine leakage. According to a study by hygiene product maker Unicharm Corp., compared to when the firm began selling bladder control pads for men in 2014, the market had grown sixfold by this year.
In an online survey conducted in February by the Japan Toilet Association, to which 557 people responded, 26 out of 38 men who use bladder control pads or other products to help with urinary incontinence said they have experienced problems due to the lack of sanitary bins in men's restrooms.
Toyohiko Sunaoka, a 67-year-old member of the association's steering committee, has had the same experience. "I couldn't tell people I use sanitary products, so I couldn't raise my voice to say we need sanitary boxes," he recalled. The association is carrying out educational activities to promote the installation of sanitary bins in commercial facilities.
Sunaoka added, "Although only a few people may use them, I would like to see them (sanitary boxes) installed in all men's bathroom stalls."
(Japanese original by Kayo Inada, Hanshin Bureau)
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