Tokyo schools drop controversial dress code on hair and underwear colour

For decades, being a student in Tokyo meant you had to look a certain way. Under the public school system's dress code, all students had to dye their hair black, certain hairstyles were prohibited and even their underwear had to be a designated colour.

But these rules, which have recently come under scrutiny and been criticized as outdated, will now be abolished, the city's authorities announced this week.

A total of five rules will be dropped by nearly 200 public schools across the Japanese capital, including regulations on hair and underwear colour, and a ban on "two block" hairstyles, which are long on top and short at the back and sides -- a style currently in fashion in many countries.

Other rules being cut include the practice of punishing students with a form of house arrest, and ambiguous language in the guidelines on what is considered "typical of high school students."

The policy changes go into effect at the start of the new academic year on April 1. The move came after Tokyo's board of education conducted a survey last year that asked schools, students and parents about their views on the policies.