Aging world: in Japan, adult diapers outsell baby ones

Bangkok Post Group

More companies in Japan are moving from producing diapers for babies and switching to adult customers, a move in line with the country’s declining birth rate and ageing population. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00Call it a sign of the times. In Japan, adult diapers are starting to outsell those for

00:07babies, that as birth rates there plummet and society ages. Around 29% of the country's

00:14population is now over 65 and that percentage is only set to grow. Meanwhile, the number

00:20of babies born in the country fell for an eighth year in 2023. At diaper maker Dio Paper

00:26near Mount Fuji, factory manager Naoto Sugaya says the trend is clear.

00:31The number of diapers we're producing is increasing year by year thanks to the growing

00:38market for adult diapers in Japan. We're also producing a wide variety of diapers on

00:43account of the growing number of customers.

00:48Over the five years to 2027, Japan's adult diaper market is forecast to grow 16% to over

00:54$600 million. Meanwhile, sales of baby diapers are set to shrink 8% to around $530 million.

01:03One big maker, OG Holdings, has already said it will stop selling baby diapers altogether.

01:09At Dio Paper, they've got no plans to stop making products for kids, but they're no longer

01:14the priority.

01:19Marketing manager Kenji Nakata says the firm is shifting its resources to focus on the

01:23adult market. They're also working to develop products that are discreet and can be worn

01:29without embarrassment. With countries around the world facing ageing populations, Japan

01:35may not be the last to see diapers find new customers.

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