Apart from their size, diapers for adults have key differences, since customers are more discerning than the average baby, and rely on them in a wider range of situations, said Daio Paper marketing manager Kenji Nakata.
Survey results showed potential buyers found the company’s products useful, he said.
“‘Wow,’ they said, ‘If they’re like this, I’d buy them, they wouldn’t be embarrassing to bring home,'” Nakata added. “‘If I wore these pants I could do my hobbies, go fishing, play golf, go shopping in Ginza.'”
Daio Paper has no plans to stop making nappies for babies, Nakata said, but the future of the business was clear.
“We can expect the market for adult diapers to continue to grow, and therefore we are devoting our company’s resources to that market with a view to expanding these products.”
Over the five years to 2027, Japan’s diaper market for adults is set to grow 16 per cent to 98.9 billion yen (US$612 million), while that for babies is estimated to contract 8 per cent to 84.6 billion yen, research firm Fuji Keizai says.
