Boys and girls as young as 5 and as old as 18 are required to take their clothes off at the waist during health checks at many Japanese schools, the Guardian reported, citing local media. The move has angered some parents and members of the public, who have called on education and health authorities to ban the practice before the start of the new school year.
According to the Fuji Television, regular medical check-ups are carried out from primary school to high school in accordance with the school health and safety law and are carried out in all schools from May to June every year. According to the report, there is no uniform policy on whether students should take off their clothes during the examination, which is decided jointly by the local education board and the health care workers. Therefore, some schools in the physical examination will require students to turn their clothes over the chest, to facilitate the medical staff to examine them. There are even schools that require students to be topless throughout the examination, and girls to take off their bras. In response, some doctors said the chest was exposed to check for atopic dermatitis, irregular heartbeat and other diseases. But many students and parents said the move caused them great discomfort.
A poll of middle school students aged 12 to 16 found that 95.5 per cent were dissatisfied with taking off their clothes for a physical exam. “Instead of helping students grow up healthily, many of the tests have caused serious psychological problems,” said Tanaka, a member of the Nishinomiya City Council. “Some students still find the experience frightening even as adults, and even affect their ability to form close relationships with others.”
In 2024 January, the Ministry of Education, Education, science and technology issued a notice requiring schools to consider students’ feelings during health checks. For example, schools should screen boys and girls separately and use partitions or curtains to block the view of the outside world. In terms of dress, students can wear gym clothes, underwear, or cover their bodies with a towel without affecting the physical examination. On the other hand, if there is a situation in which a doctor has to remove the student’s clothes for examination, this should be explained to the student and his guardian. After the announcement, some areas in Japan changed their original regulations. But some parents said: “It would be better if the state could provide more specific guidelines to bring local governments and schools into line.”