In response to the large influence wielded by trendy but unlicensed beauticians working in Tokyo, the Health and Welfare Ministry has instructed municipalities to check the licenses of those applying to open beauty parlors.
Dubbed "charisma beauticians," a handful of them have gained the trust of large numbers of high school girls and young women who flock from across the nation to Tokyo and its Aoyama district to have their hair cut by these trendsetters.
But some have been working in beauty parlors without passing the qualifying exam, magazines revealed recently.
Although a trainee can cut hair under the guidance of a licensed beautician after graduating from training school, the ministry says allowing customers to make appointments with trainees is "beyond what is permissible."
The ministry advised municipalities to send letters of instruction and to make on-site inspections of beauty parlors and barber shops.
It further instructed them to order unlicensed parlors who continue to operate to close down or to put up signs informing customers that the beauticians are in training.
As of March, about 199,000 beauty parlors and 43,000 barber shops were in operation, according to the ministry.