InsideJapan News Network

A majority of baseball-linked schools in Japan insist that students who play the game get buzz cuts, it has been claimed.

The Mainichi Daily News has revealed that approximately 70 per cent of schools who are members of the Japan High School Baseball Federation (JHSBF) make obtaining such closely cropped haircuts a mandatory requirement.

Also known as a crew cut, the buzz cut takes its name from the sound of the electric razor used during the cutting of the hair.

"I suppose there are an increasing number of high school students who consider it fashion. The students are choosing buzz cuts and there are many schools in which the club members crop each other's hair," said a federal official.

Conducted by the JHSBF, the survey found that 2,801 schools had a requirement for the wearing of buzz cuts, compared with 1,181 in 1998.