Tokyo schools have been abolished controversial rules governing hairstyles and underwear

Teacher & Student in a school in Tokyo

Five laws will be removed from public high schools and other educational institutions, including one that requires students to have black hair.

Following student pressure, controversial hairstyle and underwear restrictions are soon be removed at Tokyo metropolitan government-run high schools.

According to the Mainichi Shimbun, which cites government sources, nearly 200 public high schools and other educational institutions would abolish five requirements, including one requiring students to have black hair, beginning in April.

According to the publication, laws governing the color of students' underwear will be eliminated, as will a ban on the "two-block" hairdo, which is short on the back and sides but longer on top.

The move comes after a survey of 240 schools in the city last year found that 216 still followed regulations that a growing number of people in education – including students – believe are outdated.

However, some of the policies will remain in place in several schools. While some schools will eliminate the requirement that students show proof that their hair is naturally curly or a color other than black, others will maintain the requirement, reportedly due to student and parent requests.

According to the Mainichi, Yuto Kitamura, a member of the Tokyo metropolitan board of education, said the decision to repeal the most heinous restrictions was a "big step forward."

Kaori Yamaguchi, another member, hailed the move but complained that it had taken too long to address students' concerns.

"Japanese people have been conditioned to believe that merely following the rules is a virtue," she explained. "I'm hoping that this will provide an opportunity for people to talk about what we should do to establish a society where rules are followed in a way that is acceptable to all."

A few years ago, an 18-year-old high school student in Osaka sued city education officials after her school told her she had to paint her naturally brown hair black or be expelled.

Her argument that she was forced to color her hair was dismissed by the Osaka district court last year, but the court found the removal of her desk and name from the roster after she ceased attending courses to be unfair. The board of education was ordered to give her compensation of £330,000 [£2,152].

Last year, all public high schools in Mie, a prefecture in western Japan, abolished rules governing hairstyles, underwear color, and dating, with local officials conceding that the requirements were “relics” from a different age.

Some schools had told students they must wear undershirts in beige, mocha, or other colors that were not easily visible beneath their uniforms, while only “monotone white, grey, navy blue, or black” underwear was permissible.

Source: theguardian