Japanese parents are up in arms against a practice that requires students to strip down to the waist for health examinations. Children report feeling uncomfortable and even traumatised when asked to go topless for the annual health checkup. Students, both boys and girls, as young as 5 and as old as 18 are required to comply with the directive and residents now want it to end, The Guardian reported.

“Before the exam our teacher told us we would have to lift up our tops and bra … I didn’t want to do it but I couldn’t say no," a female student told The Guardian.&nbsp;

The practice has triggered anger among parents who have demanded the education and health authorities end it before the new session begins in April.

Noriko Tabuchi, a city councillor in Matsuyama, says she has met several other girls who were told to remove their tops for the health examination. She says they feel anxiety and aren't able to share it with their parents.

However, this is not a unanimous practice since there is no unified policy on whether the students need to undress or not. Local education boards reach a consensus on the same after discussing it with visiting health professionals. While some schools let the children remain in clothes, others insist on stripping them to the waist.

<h2>Lifelong trauma</h2>

According to surveys, most teachers want it to end. As per a poll of middle schoolchildren, aged 12-16, 95.5 per cent of participants were unhappy about removing their clothes.

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“The health exams can have serious repercussions for children,” Akiyo Tanaka, a city councillor in Nishinomiya, told The Guardian. “Some of them continue to experience trauma into adulthood.”

Those campaigning for the practice to end say they face resistance from the Japan Medical Association. Education officials are also not prepared to counter the body, with one person telling the publication on condition of anonymity that &nbsp;“In some cases, doctors, who are almost always men, have threatened to stop performing the exams if they are forced to change the procedure."

"Children are in no position to refuse. The schools are really concerned about this and want something to be done.”

<h2>Why have topless health examinations?</h2>

Invasive health checkups started in some parts of Japan during the years of postwar austerity. Schools were assigned the responsibility of ensuring that children were healthy. Doctors say topless exams are essential to check for signs of atopic dermatitis, heart irregularities and other conditions.

In Yokohama, the education ministry requested boards of education to “establish a medical examination environment with consideration for the privacy and feelings of the students”. But, at least 16 primary schools continue to ask children to undress.

The notice further asked for separate examinations for boys and girls. It states the need for a partition or curtains, and for teachers and staff of the same sex as the children to be present. Parents and guardians should also be given advance notice if the practitioner requires children to raise their shirts for an accurate diagnosis. 
&nbsp;

Japanese parents are up in arms against a practice that requires students to strip down to the waist for health examinations. Children report feeling uncomfortable and even traumatised when asked to go topless for the annual health checkup.

Japanese parents are up in arms against a practice that requires students to strip down to the waist for health examinations. Children report feeling uncomfortable and even traumatised when asked to go topless for the annual health checkup. Students, both boys and girls, as young as 5 and as old as 18 are required to comply with the directive and residents now want it to end, The Guardian reported. “Before the exam our teacher told us we would have to lift up our tops and bra … I didn’t want to do it but I couldn’t say no," a female student told The Guardian. The practice has triggered anger among parents who have demanded the education and health authorities end it before the new session begins in April. Noriko Tabuchi, a city councillor in Matsuyama, says she has met several other girls who were told to remove their tops for the health examination. She says they feel anxiety and aren't able to share it with their parents. However, this is not a unanimous practice since there is no unified policy on whether the students need to undress or not. Local education boards reach a consensus on the same after discussing it with visiting health professionals. While some schools let the children remain in clothes, others insist on stripping them to the waist. Lifelong trauma According to surveys, most teachers want it to end. As per a poll of middle schoolchildren, aged 12-16, 95.5 per cent of participants were unhappy about removing their clothes. Also Read: Too stressed about quitting? In Japan, companies will resign from your job for you “The health exams can have serious repercussions for children,” Akiyo Tanaka, a city councillor in Nishinomiya, told The Guardian. “Some of them continue to experience trauma into adulthood.” Those campaigning for the practice to end say they face resistance from the Japan Medical Association. Education officials are also not prepared to counter the body, with one person telling the publication on condition of anonymity that “In some cases, doctors, who are almost always men, have threatened to stop performing the exams if they are forced to change the procedure." "Children are in no position to refuse. The schools are really concerned about this and want something to be done.” Why have topless health examinations? Invasive health checkups started in some parts of Japan during the years of postwar austerity. Schools were assigned the responsibility of ensuring that children were healthy. Doctors say topless exams are essential to check for signs of atopic dermatitis, heart irregularities and other conditions. In Yokohama, the education ministry requested boards of education to “establish a medical examination environment with consideration for the privacy and feelings of the students”. But, at least 16 primary schools continue to ask children to undress. The notice further asked for separate examinations for boys and girls. It states the need for a partition or curtains, and for teachers and staff of the same sex as the children to be present. Parents and guardians should also be given advance notice if the practitioner requires children to raise their shirts for an accurate diagnosis.

Topless health tests at schools cause outrage in Japan. 'I didn’t want to...'

From uniform hair colour to rules on drinking water each school in Japan sets&nbsp;its own regulations for students. Rules that have no rational basis but are nonetheless used to regulate Japanese schoolchildren's behaviour both on and off the grounds.&nbsp;

A study finds that some schools in Japan go so far as to dictate what colour of underwear pupils have to wear.

According to an investigative study conducted by the Fukuoka Bar Association, more than 80% of municipal junior high schools in this southwest Japan city have rules on the colour of students' underwear, and a majority also exercises rules pertaining to hair and eyebrows.

Japanese school dress codes can be extremely thorough. Not only are most students required to wear uniforms, some schools even go so far as to regulate which bags they’re allowed to carry their books in and which brand of shoes they’re allowed to wear during gym class. 
 
According to a report published in Japan Today, the excessive guidelines or “black rules” for school kids include the fixed length of skirt hems (for girls); being seated before the bell rings at the start of class; the colour of undergarments; prohibition on shopping en route to home; leaving behind textbooks or dictionaries; prohibition on the use of hair pomade; drinking water during physical, educational or club activities; limitations on hair length; detailed description on what type of hairstyles are permitted; and the prohibition on trimming eyebrows.&nbsp;

With one exception (drinking water), all the others seem to be enforced more energetically recently than they were one or two decades ago. 
 
In some cases, the disciplinary measures taken when students have violated these rules constituted "infringements of human rights." Their report describes students being told they will be forced to remove offending underwear while at school and be made to wash their hair if styling products are found in it.&nbsp;

As per the report&nbsp;published in The Mainichi Newspaper, the Fukuoka Bar Association plans to hold a symposium in February 2021 and intends to offer proposals to schools on how they can revise their current rules. The bar's investigations came about from a freedom of information request to the Fukuoka Municipal Government, in which they asked for details on all 69 of its junior high schools' rules.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

From uniform hair colour to rules on drinking water each school in Japan sets its own regulations for students. Rules that have no rational basis but are nonetheless used to regulate Japanese schoolchildren's behaviour both on and off the grounds.

From uniform hair colour to rules on drinking water each school in Japan sets its own regulations for students. Rules that have no rational basis but are nonetheless used to regulate Japanese schoolchildren's behaviour both on and off the grounds. A study finds that some schools in Japan go so far as to dictate what colour of underwear pupils have to wear. According to an investigative study conducted by the Fukuoka Bar Association, more than 80% of municipal junior high schools in this southwest Japan city have rules on the colour of students' underwear, and a majority also exercises rules pertaining to hair and eyebrows. Japanese school dress codes can be extremely thorough. Not only are most students required to wear uniforms, some schools even go so far as to regulate which bags they’re allowed to carry their books in and which brand of shoes they’re allowed to wear during gym class. According to a report published in Japan Today, the excessive guidelines or “black rules” for school kids include the fixed length of skirt hems (for girls); being seated before the bell rings at the start of class; the colour of undergarments; prohibition on shopping en route to home; leaving behind textbooks or dictionaries; prohibition on the use of hair pomade; drinking water during physical, educational or club activities; limitations on hair length; detailed description on what type of hairstyles are permitted; and the prohibition on trimming eyebrows. With one exception (drinking water), all the others seem to be enforced more energetically recently than they were one or two decades ago. In some cases, the disciplinary measures taken when students have violated these rules constituted "infringements of human rights." Their report describes students being told they will be forced to remove offending underwear while at school and be made to wash their hair if styling products are found in it. As per the report published in The Mainichi Newspaper, the Fukuoka Bar Association plans to hold a symposium in February 2021 and intends to offer proposals to schools on how they can revise their current rules. The bar's investigations came about from a freedom of information request to the Fukuoka Municipal Government, in which they asked for details on all 69 of its junior high schools' rules. (With inputs from agencies)

Bizarre! Japan schools dictate the colour of their students’ underwear

A 55-year-old man died from his injuries Monday, two days after he was allegedly attacked by gau rakshaks (cow protectionists) for transporting cows in Alwar, Rajasthan, the Indian Express reported.&nbsp;

Pehlu Khan and four other men were assaulted even after they showed their attackers papers stating that they had bought the cows -- which they said were milch cattle -- police told the Indian Express.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Gau rakshaks affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal stopped four vehicles, near Jaguwas crossing on National Highway 8, on Saturday evening, alleging that they were illegally transporting bovines. These vehicles were coming from Jaipur, and were headed towards Nuh district in Haryana,&rdquo; Ramesh Chand Sinsinwar, SHO, Behror police station told The Indian Express.&nbsp;

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0rri0Uv92f4" width="560"></iframe>

Sinsinwar told the Indian Express that five of the victims had to be hospitalised.

The Indian Express also spoke to 22-year-old Azmat, who was with Khan in the pick-up truck.

&quot;I had bought two milch cows for Rs 75,000, and I had all the valid documents with me. We were not even trying to hide the cows, as we were taking them in a pick-up truck. At around 6 pm on Saturday, the gau rakshaks stopped our vehicle and asked us our names. They allowed our driver, Arjun, to leave,&quot; Azmat told the Indian Express.&nbsp;

&ldquo;I told them I had all the documents but they pulled us out of the vehicle and beat us up. They took away Rs 35,000 from me. I later lost consciousness and woke up in a hospital at around 1 am on Sunday,&rdquo; he added.

Police told the Indian Express that the gau rakshaks were booked for culpable homicide, destruction of property, and other charges.

After Khan&#39;s death, they have also been booked for murder.&nbsp;

The men attacked were booked too, under the Rajasthan Bovine Animals (Prohibition of Slaughter &amp; Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995.

(WION)

A cabinet decision allowing schools to teach the long-banished edict, that urges people to be willing to die for the emperor, has delighted hardcore nationalists but left many Japanese scratching their heads

A 55-year-old man died from his injuries Monday, two days after he was allegedly attacked by gau rakshaks (cow protectionists) for transporting cows in Alwar, Rajasthan, the Indian Express reported. Pehlu Khan and four other men were assaulted even after they showed their attackers papers stating that they had bought the cows -- which they said were milch cattle -- police told the Indian Express. “Gau rakshaks affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal stopped four vehicles, near Jaguwas crossing on National Highway 8, on Saturday evening, alleging that they were illegally transporting bovines. These vehicles were coming from Jaipur, and were headed towards Nuh district in Haryana,” Ramesh Chand Sinsinwar, SHO, Behror police station told The Indian Express. Sinsinwar told the Indian Express that five of the victims had to be hospitalised. The Indian Express also spoke to 22-year-old Azmat, who was with Khan in the pick-up truck. "I had bought two milch cows for Rs 75,000, and I had all the valid documents with me. We were not even trying to hide the cows, as we were taking them in a pick-up truck. At around 6 pm on Saturday, the gau rakshaks stopped our vehicle and asked us our names. They allowed our driver, Arjun, to leave," Azmat told the Indian Express. “I told them I had all the documents but they pulled us out of the vehicle and beat us up. They took away Rs 35,000 from me. I later lost consciousness and woke up in a hospital at around 1 am on Sunday,” he added. Police told the Indian Express that the gau rakshaks were booked for culpable homicide, destruction of property, and other charges. After Khan's death, they have also been booked for murder. The men attacked were booked too, under the Rajasthan Bovine Animals (Prohibition of Slaughter & Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Act, 1995. (WION)

Anger, confusion as Japan revives militarism-era edict

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Topless health tests at schools cause outrage in Japan. 'I didn’t want to...'

Bizarre! Japan schools dictate the colour of their students’ underwear

Anger, confusion as Japan revives militarism-era edict