Japanese politician dismisses petition against high heels
TOKYO — In Alberta, women recently won the right not to be forced to wear high heels in the workplace but in Japan, the opposite might be true.
Takumi Nemoto, the country’s labour minister, said it was “necessary and appropriate” for some employers to force women to wear heels at work, reported Agence France-Presse.
Nemoto was responding to an 18,000-signature petition that called for a ban on the practice.
Calling it “socially accepted,” Nemoto rejected the #KuToo petition, a reference to the #MeToo campaign and the Japanese words “kutsu” and “kutsuu,” which mean shoes and pain, respectively.
It’s been labelled a modern version of foot binding by those against the requirement for women to wear such shoes during the interview process.
