Japanese women spend thousands of dollars to learn to wear high heels.

The Japan High Heel Association (JHA)'s six-month high heel walking class attracts thousands of women who want to improve their self-confidence.

Ms. Yumiko, managing director of JHA in Tokyo, teaches women to walk in high heels. Photo: AFP

Japan, a country that regularly ranks at the bottom of gender equality rankings among developed countries, is now home to a new movement aimed at "empowering" women by encouraging them to wear high heels.

JHA calls on women to replace flat shoes with high heels to increase social confidence as well as improve posture.

The all-female organization charges more than 400,000 yen ($4,000) for a six-month course that includes posture lessons, and 4,000 Japanese women have completed the course.

In fact, JHA is just one of many schools across Japan that offer similar high-heel classes for women, but critics have condemned the popularity of high-heel activities in a society where patriarchy and gender discrimination are deeply entrenched.

Mitsuko Shimomura, a prominent social commentator, dismissed the idea as "nonsense": "There is no connection between wearing high heels and feminism. It's crazy."

Gender inequality is deeply ingrained in Japanese culture despite government policies. Japanese women often quit their jobs after giving birth due to a shortage of childcare places and promotions are difficult.

High heel walking class in Tokyo. Photo: AFP

However, "lady" Yumiko, managing director of JHA in Tokyo, asserted that encouraging women to wear high heels would help "Japanese women become more confident".

Urging women to wear high heels to open their hearts, she said: "Many women are shy about expressing themselves. In Japanese culture, women often do not have a voice or are given priority."

Wearing high heels will not only free their souls but also help correct their bad posture caused by wearing kimono, added Ms. Yumiko, 48, a former ballet dancer.

"Japanese women walk like ducks. They waddle, their toes curled up, their buttocks stuck together like they're going to the toilet. It's horrible," she said. "Chinese and Korean women don't have this problem. It's a result of Japanese kimono culture and wearing straw sandals. It's deeply ingrained in the Japanese way of walking. But very few Japanese people wear kimono all day. We should understand Western culture and know how to wear high heels properly."

According to VNE