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TOTO Ltd. was founded in 1917 as a manufacturer of ceramic sanitary wares and plumbing hardware. Before long, TOTO Ltd. grew to become Japan's industrial leader in sanitary and plumbing related products. And now in the 21st century, TOTO Ltd., with it's expanded corporate vision is poised to move forward and provide products as well as services to improve the cleanliness, comfort and convenience of residential and non-residential spaces. TOTO Ltd. is also a company that is devoted to enhancing our lifestyle while preserving the purity of our environment.

The Great Kanto Earthquake strikes, devastating Tokyo. A sewage system is built during the reconstruction and the demand for sanitary ware grows rapidly.

After World War II, TOTO begins to manufacture metal fittings and faucets as well as ceramics. Ever since, innovation in the field of precision machining technology has gone hand-in-hand with developments in the firing and casting of sanitary ware as two of TOTO's core businesses.

Japan is in the midst of its economic miracle when it hosts the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and is enjoying the construction boom that accompanies it. TOTO is again at the forefront of bathroom technology, developing the prefabrication methods necessary to meet the need for mass production, which saves time and energy on construction. The modular prefabricated bathrooms TOTO creates for the 1,044 rooms in Tokyo's Hotel New Otani, opened for the Olympics, shows how the company has perfected the combination of technology and design.

TOTO's first overseas factory opens: P.T. Surya TOTO Indonesia.

TOTO launches the WASHLET, providing consumers with a whole new level of cleanliness and comfort. It quickly becomes a Japanese cultural and commercial sensation.

Following in the wake of the WASHLET, TOTO starts moving its advanced technology into other products by introducing high-end modular kitchens.

TOTO begins trading in the USA, having already extended into Indonesia, Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and Hong Kong. TOTO expands business to China in 1994.

The launch of the NEOREST toilet brings about the fullest realisation yet of the principle of Clean Technology, incorporating the WASHLET and a comprehensive range of TOTO's innovations into a bathroom of the highest aesthetic and performance quality.

TOTO launches HYDROTECT, a patented photocatalytic technology. The material's surface self-cleans and breaks down pollutants in the air, making it ideal for external use. Easy to clean, it eliminates odours and bacteria - making it ideal for internal use, too.

The TOTO Universal Design Research Centre is built. Its purpose is to create new products through an extensive process of customer dialogue and feedback.

TOTO launches in Europe at the ISH Exhibition in Frankfurt, 10-14 March.