Public schools in Japan’s Saga Prefecture will no longer regulate/check students’ underwear color
In response to growing concerns that such school rules, and others as well, may constitute a violation not just of students’ privacy but also their human rights, Saga Prefecture’s board of education carried out a study of questionable regulations at 51 prefecturally administered middle and high schools, finding that 14 of them had a white-underwear requirement. In a meeting held this week, though, the board announced that all 14 schools have now abolished the rule, meaning no more underwear color checks starting with the 2021 school year, which is set to begin in the coming weeks.
Also abolished were the designations of different uniforms for male and female students at the 35 schools where such specifications were in place, likely in response to evolving attitudes regarding gender identity. In addition, the three schools that required students to submit documentation that their non-black or curly hair is natural have done away with the need for such certification, and will apparently be taking such students at their word that they have not dyed or permed their hair (both of which are generally against school rules in Japan).
Additional freedoms were granted to students at two schools who were previously barred from using lap blankets (Japanese classrooms are often unheated, even in winter) and two schools where kids were not allowed to attach character straps to their school bags. 13 of 38 schools which had rules regulating students’ sock and sweater color have also decided that students can make such choices themselves from now on without fear that it will bring a halt to their academic development.

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