Uniforms are a ubiquitous part of the Japanese landscape. The Japanese start early–sometimes as early as kindergarten, and no later than junior high school. They often continue to wear uniforms throughout their working lives, both at white collar and blue collar jobs. Males and females alike wear uniforms at school and at blue collar worksites, but usually only females are required to wear them at white collar establishments (though one could easily make the case that business suits and ties are the equivalent of a uniform for males.)

This has been slowly changing over the years as the Japanese have come to prefer individual expression to their former taste for group solidarity. One small indication was the Fukuoka Bank’s change in policy in 2002 allowing its female employees to choose their own clothing while on the job. They claimed the reason was to present the image of a dynamic company that respected the individuality of its employees. Another unspoken factor may well have been that keeping pace with social trends ensured they could continue to attract a steady stream of job applicants.

The Nishinippon Shimbun (article not online) is reporting today, however, that the bank is reverting to its former policy of requiring uniforms for female employees. It’s not quite as restrictive as it sounds; the ladies will retain a degree of freedom in their clothing choices. In addition to providing the basic uniform in two different colors, the bank also will have three different colors for blouses and two different colors for scarves. The employees will have the freedom to mix and match to suit their taste.

Bank officials cite two reasons for bringing back the uniform requirement. The first is their desire to present a unified organizational image. The second is the concern over an inability to distinguish between employees and customers during robbery attempts.

I don’t think this is a particularly regressive move–it’s impossible for anyone in Japan to reverse the trend toward greater individualism, and everyone knows it. Though I’ve never been to the Fukuoka Bank, I suspect there may be another reason for the uniform requirement—a lack of what the bank may consider minimum standards of presentability and basic clothes sense among young Japanese women. The females working at commercial establishments that in the past would have required uniforms nowadays frequently show up for work in t-shirts and jeans. (So much for individual expression.)

While I don’t think that’s how the women at the Fukuoka Bank dressed for work, it’s conceivable that management may have been dissatisfied with their overall sense of style (or propriety) and wanted to maintain an image less casual and more suitable for a financial institution.