I think the main difference is that the Japanese toilet is paperless. From the wikipedia page:
> In 1980 the first "paperless toilet" was launched in Japan, a combination toilet and bidet which also dries the user after washing.
The bidet often required something separate to dry after cleaning, so the difference seems to be integration with the toilet plus the dryer (heated seat optional).
On another note, on a recent trip to Korea, I noticed that many homes had these toilets (mentioned on wikipedia article). The article seems to imply that they are unique to Japan, when they're actually popular almost everywhere outside of the US.
> In 1980 the first "paperless toilet" was launched in Japan, a combination toilet and bidet which also dries the user after washing.
The bidet often required something separate to dry after cleaning, so the difference seems to be integration with the toilet plus the dryer (heated seat optional).
On another note, on a recent trip to Korea, I noticed that many homes had these toilets (mentioned on wikipedia article). The article seems to imply that they are unique to Japan, when they're actually popular almost everywhere outside of the US.