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Pictograms on Japanese electric toilets OK'd as global standard

Feb 27 (Kyodo) - Pictograms on how to use Japanese electric toilets have been registered as a global standard, the government said Monday, in a step aimed at making such signs more familiar to the growing number of foreign tourists visiting the country.

Six kinds of pictograms -- showing instructions on which buttons to press when operating a high-tech Japanese toilets -- have been recognized by the International Organization for Standardization, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The pictograms, designed by a Japanese industrial body of toilet makers, include those for "strong flush," "bidet" and "raise/lower the lid."

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