The infrastructure ministry of Japan announced Tuesday that the country will soon see a new feature in its building elevators—the government agency said it will require the installation of portable toilets in elevators, which may be useful during emergency situations, such as an earthquake, according to Japan Times.
Japanese officials met to discuss the details with elevator industry leaders after the south of Tokyo was struck with a magnitude 8.1 earthquake last Saturday. About 19,000 elevators in the city immediately stopped working following the earthquake, trapping people for at least 70 minutes.
The Japanese government believes that it would only be practical to install water and toilet facilities in elevators should more earthquakes strike. As the country is located within the boundaries of major tectonic plates, there is always a possibility of an earthquake. A big one could strike the islands at any time, so the officials deemed it important to be prepared.
There are over 620,000 elevators in Japan and these always stop working after an earthquake hits. The "big one" could leave over 17,000 Japanese people trapped in elevators, according to Yahoo.
Meanwhile, Tokyo has established the Japan Elevator Association Kanto Branch (JEA) in response to the problem. The agency has come up with methods—such as having a proper backup power source and a warning system—to help locals escape elevators should an earthquake strike, according to the Washington Post. However, these solutions may not always work perfectly, thus toilet elevators may still be the best option.
Japan's elevator and toilet industries are both renowned for being the most advanced in the world.
Back in 2008, a private Japanese firm released a prototype for a toilet elevator. Watch the video below.
