Price hikes in Japan: from diapers, to sanitary pads, to toilet paper…

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]This summer it's going to become a lot more expensive to have periods and kids in Japan. Hi, my name is Achiko and I talk about all things related to social issues, motherhood, and politics in Japan. Two major companies, Daio Paper Corporation and Unicharm Corporation, have announced price hikes for everyday essentials. Think diapers, sanitary pads, toilet paper, tissues, and also pet products. Daio Paper Corporation says that products under its Elleair brand will increase 15% or more starting August 1st. Meanwhile, Unicharm Corporation says that it wants to increase its prices up to 5% starting July. The reason, you guessed it, is because of the rising prices due to tensions in the Middle East. A lot of hygiene products rely on petroleum-based materials, plastics, packaging, adhesives. So, when global oil-related costs grow, everyday items also become more expensive. And other companies are also starting to adapt to this war in other ways. For example, Calbee will start printing its packages in black and white to reduce its ink use. And Kagome is redesigning its ketchup packaging again because of ink issues. This stopped being a gasoline issue a long time ago, and it is primarily affecting normal everyday people. Because what do you mean that I'm going to have to budget for sanitary pads and diapers and toilet paper?