[4] Ishikawa then collected 18,856 signatures for a petition on not forcing women to wear high heels in the workplace and presented it to Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
[9] In response to a press inquiry seeking the truth, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare described the minister's remarks as "While it is unacceptable to force women to wear high heels in circumstances that result in accidents or injury, neither can the government prohibit companies from requiring female employees to wear high heels unless they are beyond what is necessary and reasonable in the course of business in accordance with conventional wisdom.
While Japanese business culture is also rigid about men's clothing and puts pressure on male workers to dress in specific ways, this does not cause them physical pain and injury.
[15] High heel shoes can create lasting negative effects when worn in constant use above two inches, like the women in Japan are expected to wear.
The then prime minister said “In each workplace, as a first step, it’s important that both employer and employee talk each other based on existing related laws.”[20] Public opinion in Japan on the #KuToo movement has varied.
[21][22] When asked during the same session, Emiko Takagai, Deputy Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, stated that "she does not believe women should be forced to wear high heels.
[24] During the March 2020 House of Councilor's Budget Meeting, former prime minister Shinzo Abe stated that "women should not have irrational rules that lead to pain imposed upon them.
"[25] The #KuToo movement’s progression remains slow due to various obstacles solidified by long-standing views on gender roles in Japan and expectations of social conformity.
[26] The World Economic Forum listed Japan at 121 out of 153 countries in terms of measures for gender gaps in 2020,[27] indicating that societal expectations of women remain discriminatory.
This was recently exemplified by the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, notably the lack of job security endemic to a female labor force made up of a majority of "non-regular workers" whose income is perceived as supplementary to that of an assumed male partner.
[40] Additionally, there is some concern that the gains made so far are at risk following the resignation of Abe in August 2020 and the uncertain economic vision and conservative leanings of incomer Yoshihide Suga.[41][timeframe?]