Forget the 58-inch flat-panel TV, the new domestic status symbol for Japan's rich is a cooker.
Housewife Yasuyo Takizawa, whose husband runs a public relations company, spent as much as ¥4 million on systems that combine solar power with energy-efficient water and room heaters and induction cookers that heat pots with a magnetic field, boosting her green credentials and swelling earnings for manufacturer Panasonic Corp.
"I'm not normally big on the environment, but I feel good that I'm using eco-friendly products," said Takizawa, 63, who installed the system after seeing it at her sister's house. "Now my friends who visit my place say they also want them." She's buying the same units for a house being built for her son.