Japan urged to end hair discrimination in schools, cut pupils some slack over ‘too conservative’ rules
- Japanese schools have a reputation for being extremely strict, but there’s been a growing backlash against harsh rules on student appearance
- A growing number of complaints and legal cases have been making headlines in recent years, often involving children of mixed heritage
The online petition, started in May by human-rights organisation Japan for Black Lives, calls for an end to discrimination against students because of their hair colour, texture or style; for inflexible school rules to be reviewed; and for school staff to undergo anti-discrimination workshops. It is nearing its target of 50,000 signatures.
Japan for Black Lives said it had received reports of numerous concerning incidents, including schools banning braided hair, students being obliged to submit a document stating that their hair colouring is natural and even teachers cutting students’ hair in front of their classmates.
Japanese schools are still much too conservative and they are clinging on to old values in a society that has completely changed
A growing number of complaints and legal cases have been making headlines in Japan in recent years, often involving biracial and bicultural children whose hair colour and texture fail to match school guidelines.
A third-year student at a high school in Himeji, Hyogo prefecture, was banned from his graduation ceremony because his hair was in cornrows. The boy has a Japanese mother and an African-American father. When they questioned the school, the vice-principal reportedly said: “He should know the rules.”
But the issue also affects children without mixed heritage. In Kobe, a 16-year-old girl with two ethnic Japanese parents developed an anxiety disorder and refused to go to school after a teacher “yanked” her hair in class because it was not the mandatory black shade. The girl said her hair had faded as a result of the chemicals in a pool where she was a regular swimmer and school authorities had previously confirmed that she did not need to follow the rules on hair colour.
Japanese schools have a reputation for being extremely strict, but a backlash against the rules is growing, with many people seeing them as petty and controlling.