Underwear inspections including "Wear only white underwear"... Absurd rules at a Japanese middle school

Fukuoka Bar Association Investigation Results Announced
Underwear Inspections with Mixed Genders and Sexual Harassment Remarks
Teacher Says "Male Students Feel Lust, So Hair Should Be Below Ears"
Teacher Warns Student Council That "Discussions Will Affect Grades"

Japanese middle school student. (Photo is not directly related to the article content) [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] It has been revealed that some municipal junior high schools in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, required students to wear only white or certain colors of underwear. Some schools even checked the underwear color in the presence of both male and female students.

According to a report by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun on the 24th, the Fukuoka Prefectural Bar Association investigated the school rules of 69 municipal junior high schools in Fukuoka Prefecture and announced on the 22nd that there were unreasonable rules constituting human rights violations.

The Bar Association plans to request revisions to the school rules from the city board of education as well as each school.

After requesting information disclosure from Fukuoka City in August and obtaining the school rules of each school for analysis, the Bar Association found that 57 out of 69 municipal junior high schools, accounting for 80%, applied rules specifying underwear color as white or certain colors.

Sixty-two schools prohibited students from cutting their side hair in a two-block style. Additionally, 50 schools required students to wear different uniforms based on gender.

Upon reviewing experiences of students, guardians, and staff regarding unfair school rules and inappropriate guidance resulting from them, the Bar Association found many cases of guidance that appeared to be sexual harassment.

One teacher told a female student, "When tying your hair at the back, you must tie it below the ear," explaining, "Men feel lust when they see the nape of the neck. The government also expresses it this way."

Students who came to school wearing underwear colors that violated the rules were made to remove their underwear at school.

There were also cases where students were lined up in the hallway to check their underwear color. Notably, there were instances where underwear color was checked while male and female students were gathered together in a gymnasium.

There was even a case where students were required to wear only white socks with vertical stripes. In sock inspections, if one sock on a foot violated the rules, a teacher made the student buy and wear new socks.

Some schools specified that sock length could not exceed 15 cm from the floor.

Students had to remain silent when passing in front of the staff room.

One school’s student council tried to discuss the school rules, but a teacher obstructed this and warned, "If you discuss it, it will be reflected in your grades."

Based on the investigation, the Bar Association plans to create a proposal for revising the school rules and present it at a symposium to be held in February next year.