Tokyo Schools Drop Controversial Rules On Hair And Underwear Colour After Criticism

Every school has its rules, but Japanese institutions have a reputation for enforcing some bizarre regulations, and some are really shocking, to say the least.

But after coming under scrutiny and criticism, it now appears that controversial rules on hairstyles and underwear are to be scrapped at high schools run by the Tokyo metropolitan government, CNN reported.

AFP

Almost 200 public high schools and other educational institutions will drop five regulations, including regulations on hair and underwear colour.

Other rules being done away with include ¡°two-block¡± hairstyle ¨C short at the back and sides and longer on top, the practice of punishing students with a form of house arrest, and ambiguous language in the guidelines on what is considered "typical of high school students."

AFP

The policy changes go into effect at the start of the new academic year on April 1. The move comes after Tokyo's board of education conducted a survey last year that asked schools, students and parents about their views on the policies.

The survey carried out in 240 schools in the capital found that 216 retained regulations that an increasing number of people in education ¨C including the children themselves ¨C say are outdated.

Bizarre school rules continue in other cities

Tokyo isn't the only Japanese city with outrageous school rules. In the southern prefecture of Fukuoka, some schools have prohibited female students from wearing ponytails because the ¡°nape of their necks¡± could ¡°sexually excite¡± male students.

Motoki Sugiyama, a former middle school teacher, told Vice the reasoning is similar to that of the schools¡¯ white-only underwear policy so that they won¡¯t show through the uniforms.

Representational Image/Shutterstock

¡°They¡¯re worried boys will look at girls, which is similar to the reasoning behind upholding a white-only underwear colour rule. I¡¯ve always criticized these rules, but because there¡¯s such a lack of criticism and it¡¯s become so normalized, students have no choice but to accept them," he said.

As per Vice, a 2020 survey suggested that in the southern prefecture of Fukuoka, one in ten schools prohibited the hairstyle.

Sugiyama had taught at five different schools in the prefecture of Shizuoka for 11 years, and all have outlawed ponytails. Since he felt the gendered rules were sexist and discouraged students¡¯ self-expression, he has been working to expose unreasonable demands on students.

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