Photo/Illutration The latest N700S model bullet train (Provided by JR Tokai)

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) announced that all Tokaido and Sanyo bullet trains will feature women’s-only restrooms by next spring.

The company said Dec. 13 that about half of the restrooms now available for everyone to use will be converted into ones exclusively for women.

The new restrooms will be installed in some trains from this month, with the total conversion to be completed in time for the next major change to bullet train timetables this coming March 15.

The change will affect 16-car Shinkansen trains. One of the two restrooms now located in odd-numbered cars will be converted, except car No. 11 which has a multi-purpose restroom.

To make it easy for passengers to recognize a restroom as being only for women, a pictogram and label will be attached to the door, which will also have an area colored in pink.

After the change, there will be nine restrooms that both genders can use, seven only for women and seven urinals on every Shinkansen train.

JR Tokai officials said the change was being made because of an increase in female passengers and greater calls from them for restrooms that only women can use.

“Some women may feel uneasy about using a toilet seat in a restroom that a man may have used. We want female passengers to use the restrooms more comfortably,” a company official said.

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