TOKYO, Mar 21 (News On Japan) –
Police uniforms in Japan will bear their first main redesign in 31 years, with modifications together with the abolition of skirts for feminine officers and the introduction of polo shirts to assist deal with rising temperatures.
The National Police Agency has introduced that feminine officers’ uniforms can be standardized to pants, aligning them with these worn by male officers.
As of April 2024, there are roughly 260,000 cops nationwide, of whom round 30,645 — or about 10 p.c — are ladies, in accordance with the company.
In observe, most feminine officers already put on pants for better ease of motion, main the company to formally get rid of skirts from the uniform to mirror present working situations.
Additional modifications embody standardizing the design of trouser pockets and belt loops throughout genders. Insignia on police caps and rank badges worn on the left chest, beforehand smaller for ladies, will now be the identical measurement for each women and men.
Historically, job roles differed by gender. After graduating from police academy, male officers have been sometimes assigned to native police containers, whereas feminine officers typically dealt with site visitors enforcement. Uniforms additionally mirrored these variations — previous to 1994, ladies wore trousers solely in winter. Today, each women and men start their careers at native police containers and perform related duties, prompting questions from officers in regards to the want for uniform distinctions based mostly on gender.
To fight rising summer time temperatures, new summer time uniforms will even be launched. The up to date design options polyester polo shirts for improved breathability, and the highest of police caps can be manufactured from mesh materials. The cap insignia will even get replaced with a washable model.
The present police uniform design has been in use since 1994, making this the primary redesign in 31 years. The new uniforms can be launched beginning April 1, 2025, with rollout starting in prefectural police departments that decide in.
Police uniforms are bought utilizing every prefectural division’s price range. While most departments begin utilizing summer time uniforms in May, 4 police stations — together with the Kumagaya station in Saitama Prefecture, identified for its excessive temperatures — will start pilot use of the brand new summer time uniforms beginning this May.
Source: FNN