She still has a complex about her appearance." Hair dye and perms aren't the only beauty choices subject to Japanese dress-code standards. Many male students can't wear spiky or messy hairstyles ...

The issue of school regulations covering hair color is one that has come before the courts and stirred international interest in the rigid system that governs Japanese schools to encourage conformity.

OSAKA--A former Osaka high school student has won her damages lawsuit against the prefectural government after being pressured to dye her hair black because it didn't conform with school regulations.

Japanese schools should not define ... It is unreasonable to make these students dye or straighten their hair just to comply with school rules, which are too narrowly defined, and this could ...