Elementary school parents are angry at the price of their child's school uniform. The Tokyo school decided the luxury designer Armani would design its new school uniforms. The uniforms include a hat and bag and cost ¥80,000 ($730). Parents are protesting at the very high price. School officials said they wanted a uniform that reflected the rich area around the school. They visited department stores and asked Armani to design the uniform.
The uniform price has been discussed in Japan's parliament. A lawmaker said that since the school is public, "a certain price range" is needed. Japan's finance minister said it was expensive and would be a problem if parents could not pay. Japan's education minister said the financial burden on parents should not be too high. The school principal accepted the criticism. He said: "I will go on explaining carefully to those concerned."