By the end of the current school year, there will be approximately 200 Tokyo public schools and educational institutions They will delete There are some strict rules regarding student dress or hairstyle, for example, having straight and dark hair and wearing underwear of a certain color.

These rules are widespread in many schools in Japan, and have been discussed for years, not just in Tokyo, because they are considered obsolete and discriminatory. Like many aspects of Japanese society, it is historically closed to itself and pays close attention to the most ancient customs, even the school dress code is not written, but is customary and traditional.

Although these laws were applied with increasing frequency only between the seventies and eighties, these rules have always existed: school leaders were a means of suppressing the moral liberalization that was prevalent among Japanese youth and young adults. Around the world. However, it is only in recent years that they have become an issue at the center of public debate. Those who criticize them define them Burakku kousoku (Translated as “unjust / irrational laws”).

In the opinion of many teachers, these laws of today are outdated, repressive, and promote sexual and racial discrimination. One step-by-step stop at most schools in Tokyo is that students with natural wavy, black or non-black hair are required to dye or prove that this is their natural hair because it is usually required at school. Straight hair. The other is about the ban on having an eye Shaved hair and long hair on topThanks to the musical phenomenon, a hairstyle that became very popular in East Asia K-pop.

The other involves wearing white underwear or a uniform that is not easily recognizable. According to the Fukuoka Prefecture Bar Association, this is a law80 percent Middle School in Japan; How He said A student from NHK Nagasaki Prefecture on National Television, teachers regularly check the color of the linen, preparing the boys for physical education time.

The decision to change things came after much discussion between students and teachers at institutes in Tokyo. In April 2021, the Tokyo Board of Education’s governing body asked 240 schools in the metropolitan area whether certain laws in force were obsolete or unnecessary: ​​216 of which needed to be reviewed or removed from all. .

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In June, public schools in My Prefecture (east of Kyoto) They deleted Various laws that are very strict and outdated, including laws prohibiting spousal relationships between students. Others, especially those related to hair, have been criticized for discriminating against those who do not have the typical characteristics of the Japanese people.

A Japanese court has also dealt with the law of hair.

A student with dark brown hair from Osaka in 2017 The case was filed In her own high school, she was repeatedly told to paint them black so they would not be expelled; Also, according to three different teachers who examined her hair bulbs, she actually had black hair but deliberately dyed it brown.

Due to increasing pressure she stopped attending classes: her desk was removed from the classroom and her name was removed from the class register. While arguing that the school did not compel her to dye her hair, an Osaka court in early 2021 ruled that expelling the girl from the student register was foolish and ordered the school to pay about 2,500 euros. Compensation.