2 Tokyo wards to allow schoolgirls to wear pants

Feb 04, 2019 | News On Japan

Feb 04, 2019 (the-japan-news.com) - Tokyoâ€™s Nakano Ward said Friday that it has decided to allow female students at all municipal junior high schools to pick pants for their uniform from April.

Setagaya Ward will also offer a pants uniform option to girls who will be first graders at municipal junior high schools, which total 29, from April, people familiar with the matter said.

Through the moves, the wards hope to prepare school environments in which children respect diverse individual characters, including LGBT, or lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Nakano Mayor Naoto Sakai told a press conference that the decision was made after a female elementary school sixth-grader handed him a class survey showing a majority of students want to wear pants at junior high schools. â€œWe have accepted the childrenâ€™s voices,â€ he said.

Five of the wardâ€™s 10 junior high schools have already allowed girls to choose between wearing skirts or pants on a daily basis, depending on weather conditions and needs for mobility.

Nakanoâ€™s board of education confirmed that the pants option will be offered to the remaining five schools.

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