Public Toilet Ratios in Japan

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the number of women’s toilets installed at Japan’s train stations is only about 60% of the number of men’s toilets. In addition, men’s toilets outnumber women’s in other facilities such as bus terminals, airports, and movie theaters. 

This has prompted the ministry to make up guidelines for an appropriate ratio to shorten wait times for women’s restrooms. According to the survey conducted by the Ministry, over 90% of both men and women believe that waiting times for women’s public restrooms are longer than for men’s. It is believed that the longer wait times for women comes from facilities being designed on the assumption that men would use toilets more. 

The government plans to create guidelines by the end of the fiscal year on the appropriate number of toilets based on conditions and line characteristics. One Ministry official is quoted “This survey has highlighted the problem of waiting times for women’s restrooms. We want to consider how to level them out based on effective case studies and the survey results.”

I hope some changes are made, but to tell the truth, I don’t think they will be.