Outrage in Japan at minister's high-heel demand

"It's ridiculous that women should be told they have to wear high heels by a man." Photo / 123RF

Japan's Labour Minister has infuriated women after declaring during a parliamentary debate that wearing high heels "is necessary and reasonable" in the workplace.

Takumi Nemoto was responding to a question by an opposition politician who said that forcing women to wear high heels at work is "outdated". The comment was a consequence of a petition filed with the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry on Monday calling for the Government to ban companies from requiring female staff to wear high heels in the workplace.

The petition has grown out of the #KuToo movement — a combination of the #MeToo rights movement and the Japanese words for shoes, "kutsu", and pain, "kutsuu". The petition has more than 24,700 signatures.

Nemoto said on Wednesday that wearing high heels in the workplace is "generally accepted by society", but did not say why doing so is "necessary and reasonable".

Yumi Ishikawa, who started the petition, said Nemoto's comments had pushed the issue even more into the spotlight and she wanted people to debate the issue seriously. "It seems like men don't really understand that wearing high heels can be painful and lead to injuries," she said.

"But even if women aren't hurt, I'd like such expectations to be considered power harassment."

Ishikawa said Nemoto's remarks might prompt some women to bring the issue up with their bosses.

"This might spur that kind of action, so I think this is going in a good direction," she told Reuters.

The Health Ministry said it was reviewing the petition and declined to comment further.

Nemoto's comments have been broadly ridiculed.

"To say something like that is just beneath contempt," said Noriko Hama, a professor of economics at Kyoto's Doshisha University. "It's ridiculous that women should be told they have to wear high heels by a man."

"It once again reveals the mentality behind Japan's politicians," she said.

"The more they talk, the more they reveal their lack of intelligence — but, unfortunately, these attitudes are rooted among our leaders."

Kanako Hosomura, who worked as a waitress in Tokyo, recalls being told by a male manager that she had to wear heels throughout her eight-hour shifts.

"I could not believe what I was hearing," she said. "He was standing in comfortable flat shoes, telling me I had to wear heels. I was furious."

The response to the minister's comments online has been swift and unflattering. Some suggested that the minister should be required to wear high heels for a week to see if he enjoyed the experience.