Every school has its own set of standards, but strict laws requiring everything from black hair to white shoelaces at some Japanese universities are drawing rising criticism and even legal action.

Toshiyuki Kusumoto, a father of two in western Japan's Oita, is seeking court intervention to protect his younger son from regulations he calls "unreasonable".

They include restrictions on hair length, a prohibition on styles such as ponytails and braids, a prohibition on low-cut socks, and a requirement that shoelaces be white.

"These kinds of school rules go against respect for individual freedom and human rights, which are guaranteed by the constitution," Kusumoto told AFP.

Later this month, he will enter into court-mediated arbitration with the school and city, hoping that the rules will be changed.

Change is already taking place in Tokyo, which recently announced that severe limits on matters such as hair color will be lifted in the capital's public schools beginning in April.

However, the limitations are quite widespread elsewhere, and Kusumoto, who remembers chafing at similar limits as a child, thinks his legal case will result in broader reform.

"It's not only about our children. There are many other children across Japan who are suffering because of unreasonable rules," he said.

Recipe for unthinking children

There are hints of pressure to amend the restrictions, such as a petition presented to the Education Ministry in January by young members of the rights group Voice Up Japan.

They urge the Ministry to encourage schools to collaborate with students on rule revisions.

"We started this campaign because some of our members have had unpleasant experiences with school rules," said 16-year-old Hatsune Sawada, a member of Voice Up Japan's high-school division.

The petition uses the example of a girl who was humiliated by a teacher for growing a fringe that, when flattened with a hand, covered the girl's brows, which was a rule violation.

In Oita, school uniforms are likewise gendered, with boys wearing pants and girls wearing skirts.

The local education board says the rules "not only nurture a sense of unity among children but also ease the economic burden for families of buying clothes". But Kusumoto disagrees.

"A sense of unity is not something that is imposed, it's something that should be generated spontaneously," he said. Imposing these kinds of rules "is a recipe for producing children who stop thinking".