The only international comparative information on handwashing practices shows Japanese in the bottom 5 in answer to "Washing my hands with soap after going to the toilet is something I automatically do?" http://gallup.com.pk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Global-Handwashing-Statistics-2.pdf /1

Obviously this isn't consistent with the image we all have of Japan being a nation very concerned with hygiene (although some people have pointed out poor handwashing practices in recent Twitter conversations.) /2

So the question is, do we really think that Japanese are less frequent handwashers than other cultures? Or that they are just more honest when answering this type of survey question? Or something else? /3

I have looked in vain for other international comparative data on this topic, if anyone knows where I can find any, please let me know! /4