Japan Police to Abolish Skirts in Uniforms in April

Tokyo, March 21 (Jiji Press)--Japan's National Police Agency said Friday that it will abolish next month skirts in uniforms worn by community police officers at police boxes and other locations.

The move reflects the fact that a vast majority of female police officers already opt to wear pants that are easy to move around in.

In the latest change to police uniforms, the NPA will also introduce polo shirt-type wear with high breathability as part of its summer lineup, to bear the scorching heat.

According to the NPA, skirts used to be widely worn as many female police officers had been tasked with tackling traffic violations. Recently, many women are stationed at police boxes, creating the need for them to rush to scenes of incidents and apprehend suspects, and prompting them to avoid choosing skirts.

Under the uniform revision, the NPA will also unify the sizes of class insignia which currently differ between men and women.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]