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Recent accounts from young girls in Japan have illuminated a troubling aspect of health checkups in schools, where students are sometimes required to undress to the waist. One 13-year-old described feeling “embarrassed” when her chest was exposed during the examination. Another expressed hesitation about the process, saying, “I didn’t want to do it but I couldn’t say no.” These statements highlight the discomfort and, in some instances, long-lasting trauma experienced by children, ranging from ages five to eighteen, during these mandatory health assessments.
Growing concern among parents and advocacy groups has ignited calls for an end to these practices ahead of the new academic year in April. Noriko Tabuchi, a city councillor in Matsuyama, first learned about the issue through a troubled 13-year-old student in her English class. Since then, she has met several other young girls who revealed they too were subjected to similar health examination procedures, where they were instructed to remove their shirts.
Compounding the issue is the absence of a standardized policy governing the necessity for students to undress during these checkups. Local education boards are left to determine their own protocols in collaboration with visiting health professionals. Some institutions allow students to remain clothed, while others enforce a requirement for them to remove their T-shirts and, in the case of girls, their bras. Alarmingly, in some senior high schools in western Japan, even students as old as eighteen are mandated to undergo exams without tops.
Polls indicate that a significant majority of educators support abolishing this requirement. A survey conducted among middle schoolers aged 12 to 16 revealed that 95.5% of participants were dissatisfied with having to undress for these health assessments. Akiyo Tanaka, another city councillor in Matsuyama, remarked on the deep emotional impact these examinations can have on children, suggesting that many still grapple with the associated trauma well into adulthood.
‘Awful to remove clothes in front of strangers’
As media scrutiny grows surrounding this issue, campaigners find themselves facing resistance from notable institutions including the Japan Medical Association and certain education officials. A source familiar with the discussions mentioned that some doctors, predominantly male, have warned they would cease conducting exams if required to modify their current practices. This insistence is rooted in a belief that thorough examinations cannot be performed while patients remain clothed.
Chiyoko Suda, whose daughter is thirteen, shared her concern regarding the embarrassment young girls feel discussing bodily matters with their parents, let alone removing clothing in front of strangers. “So you can imagine how awful it is for them to have to remove their clothes in front of strangers,” she stated.
The origins of such invasive health examination practices can be traced back to periods of postwar austerity when educational institutions were tasked with ensuring child health and proper nutrition. Advocates for the exams argue that they are essential to detect conditions like atopic dermatitis and heart irregularities. However, Kentaro Iwata, an infectious diseases professor at Kobe University Hospital, questioned the necessity of requiring children to undress for complete examinations, suggesting that while it might marginally improve the sound quality of a heartbeat check, it does not contribute significantly to better health outcomes.
Complaints have emerged from parents across the nation, including from Yokohama, where numerous primary schools enforce topless requirements during health exams. This situation persists despite guidance from the education ministry urging boards to create examination environments respectful of students’ privacy, advocating that they be permitted to wear physical education attire or cover their upper bodies to avoid privacy invasions.
Recent policy adjustments have been made, such as those in Kyoto city, where, under parental pressure, schools now generally allow children to wear their underwear and gym clothes during exams. Other educational institutions are beginning to follow this more considerate approach.
Satoshi Kodama, a professor specializing in medical ethics at Kyoto University, emphasized the need for clearer directives from the education ministry to ensure consistent practices across local governments and schools. Personal accounts from parents reflect a growing unease about the current health checkup norms. Mai Okumura highlighted how her daughter initially dismissed the requirement to undress during her examination, viewing compliance as an adult-imposed rule. Similarly, Sachiko Shimada expressed her shock when her daughter revealed she was compelled to lift her shirt and bra for the examination.
These narratives reveal a significant oversight in respecting the students’ privacy and personal dignity during what should be a routine health check. This ongoing dialogue raises essential questions about the appropriateness of existing health examination procedures in Japanese schools.
The names of the children’s mothers have been changed at their request.
Source
www.theguardian.com