Editing School uniforms in Japan (section)

== Genderless uniforms ==
Historically, school uniforms in Japan are decided on the basis of sex, with trousers for male students and skirts for female students. However, in April 2019, public junior high schools in Tokyo's Nakano Ward began allowing students to choose their uniform regardless of sex. This started with a sixth grader who did not want to wear skirts in junior high school and asked her female classmates for their opinions on uniforms. The responses showed that most of her classmates also wanted the freedom to choose their uniforms. The young student delivered the survey results to the mayor of Nakano, and all of the principals for the ward's public junior high schools agreed on the proposal, allowing students to freely choose their uniforms.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-01-26 |title=Junior high schoolers in Tokyo's Nakano free to choose skirt or pant uniform from spring |language=en |work=Mainichi Daily News |url=https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190126/p2a/00m/0na/031000c |access-date=2023-03-04}}</ref>

Schools allowing trousers for female students rose to 600 in 2019 from only four in 1997,<ref name="asahi.com">{{Cite web |title=Gender-free uniforms at schools? Yes, it's happening {{!}} The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/13054286 |access-date=2023-03-04 |website=The Asahi Shimbun |language=en}}</ref> and over 400 schools adopted genderless uniforms for 2022's fiscal year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Record number of schools update their uniforms to be more inclusive {{!}} The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14693528 |access-date=2023-03-04 |website=The Asahi Shimbun |language=en}}</ref> There was a lot of support from female students for the adaptation of genderless uniforms and the implementation of slacks since it allowed for more comfort by keeping their legs warm and making it easier to ride their bicycles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Schools across Japan work on adopting pants as option for all {{!}} The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14645544 |access-date=2023-03-04 |website=The Asahi Shimbun |language=en}}</ref> The decision for genderless uniforms is also in consideration of sexual minority students.<ref name="asahi.com"/>

In addition to changes made in the uniform, schools made adaptations to the school bags and uniforms for outside-of-class activities. In 2022, genderless swimwear was introduced at a few high schools and has quickly spread to more schools throughout Japan.<ref name="Ono 2024"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kamimoto |first=Moe |date=2023-01-31 |title=Genderless uniform trend accelerating in Japan {{!}} Sustainability from Japan |url=https://zenbird.media/genderless-uniform-trend-accelerating-in-japan/ |access-date=2023-03-04 |website=Zenbird |language=en-US}}</ref> Genderless swimwear gradually evolved from the need to protect against sunburn to a desire to deemphasize body shape by adding more coverage.