Resistance to high heels Petition against high heels in Japan

In Japan, women often have to wear high heels at work. It's kind of an unwritten law. But the Japanese are now fed up with it: there is resistance.

Japanese corporations and businesses can be strict, even when it comes to dress codes. Many Japanese women have to wear high heels in the office. Whether they like it or not. Actress and author Yumi Ishikawa, however, was tired of coming home with sore feet because of the shoes. She launched the #KuToo campaign.

KuToo is a play on words: a combination of the Japanese word for pain, "kutsuu", with the hashtag of the MeToo movement. "Yumi Ishikawa came up with the idea for the campaign because a tweet from her in which she addressed the problem went viral at the beginning of the year," explains Deutschlandfun-Nova reporter Anke van de Weyer.

High heel coercion as sexual discrimination and harassment

There is now a petition to the Japanese government asking it to ban companies from making regulations that force women to wear high heels. Because such a provision would be tantamount to sexual discrimination and harassment.

The petition has already reached the Japanese Ministry of Health. There the officials announced that they wanted to examine the petition and then see what was possible. How big the chance is that Yumi Ishikawa and her comrades-in-arms will be successful is not entirely clear.

Japan has abolished the tie requirement

After all, there was a similar relief for men a few years ago: in 2005, the tie requirement was overturned by a government campaign. "On the other hand, misogyny is sometimes very firmly anchored in Japan," notes Anke. Just last year, a top politician in the governing party said: women who don't have children and stay alone are a burden for the state.

By the way, the Japanese are not alone with their demand. Two years ago there was a similar campaign in Great Britain: a receptionist was fired because she did not want to wear shoes with heels of at least two inches to work. There was a petition, 150,000 signatures and a heated debate in Parliament about dress codes in the office. - Has happened: Nothing.