TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's health minister said in response to a petition seeking a ban on requiring women to wear high heels at work that such dress code expectations are "necessary and appropriate" in the workplace. Health Minister Takumi Nemoto responded on Wednesday to an online campaign gaining attention in Japan under the hashtag #KuToo, a play on the Japanese words for shoe, "kutsu", and pain, "kutsuu". Many Japanese companies may not explicitly require female employees to wear high heels but many women do so because of tradition and social expectations. However, Nemoto also said it could be considered "power harassment" if employers required female workers who had been injured to wear high heels. "It seems like men don't really understand that wearing high heels can be painful and lead to injuries," she told Reuters.

Source: The Star June 06, 2019 05:15 UTC