Education Tokyo high school promotes wearing sunglasses

Times are a-changing.

A girls' junior and senior high school in Tokyo has partnered with a major eyewear brand to raise awareness of eye health by allowing students to wear sunglasses — a still-uncommon sight in Japan. Joshi Seigakuin Junior and Senior High School in Kita Ward introduced the rule on 27 October, allowing students to wear sunglasses outdoors, including during their commutes. In collaboration with the eyewear company Zoff, fifty-four students selected the colours and styles for seven officially approved pairs, featuring options such as grey- and pink-tinted lenses.

According to Zoff, the World Health Organisation has stated that more than half of a person's lifetime ultraviolet exposure occurs by the age of 18. In Japan, however, the culture of wearing sunglasses to protect against UV rays is not well-established, with fewer than 20% of people wearing a pair. Since 2023, Zoff has been conducting outreach classes at elementary and junior high schools nationwide to raise awareness of eye health.

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If this isn't a clear sign of climate change then I don't know what is. When I was a child, if anyone told my parents I need to wear UV sunglasses (and SPF50) while outside they'd've laugh and thought it was ridiculous.