TOKYO, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Japan's Imperial Household Agency has finally decided to issue official uniforms for its female staff, 93 years after their male counterparts received theirs.
The new uniforms for women will consist of a white blouse and navy blazer and dress. Each uniform costs about $460, including shoes and gloves. Agency officials have budgeted for 20 uniforms during the current fiscal year, reported the Mainichi Shimbun Wednesday.
Until now, the agency has required female staff to provide their own outfits. This caused complaints about dry-cleaning as well as sexism, since male staff had all been issued with agency-supplied uniforms.
When the current Emperor Akihito's reign began in 1989, women made up only 7 percent of the agency's entire staff, but their number has steadily grown and now one in 10 officials is female.
