In the 1970s, when the women’s liberation movement started to take root in Japan, a group of female students at Tohoku University began demanding the university provide free menstrual products in restrooms, arguing that they were necessities for women.
Now, as "period poverty" — referring to those who are unable to afford menstrual products — has become a social issue, former members of the group have compiled materials from their activities and self-published a reference book titled “Gojunen-me no Seiri Yohin” (“50th Year of Menstrual Products”).
By shedding light on the collection of historical records, they aim to reexamine the significance of their movement for gender equality in today’s context.
“How has our male-centered society shown understanding of women’s physical functions and what kind of support has it provided?” a handwritten message asks on one flyer included in the book.
In 1973, a group of six female students at Tohoku University in Sendai formed an organization and argued that the lack of such a basic supply for women, while toilet paper was freely available, was discriminatory.
From 1973 to 1976, they distributed flyers, published newsletters called "Onna Tsushin" ("Women’s Press"), and even placed sanitary pads in restrooms at their own expense. They engaged in collective bargaining with the university, and their movement spread to other schools such as Akita University.
Yaeko Kisu, 72, a former member of the group who lives in Sendai, rallied her peers into compiling their past flyers and newsletters, which led to the publication of the reference book in January.
“I wanted to revisit the footsteps of our movement that were buried in history,” she said.
In one of the documents recorded in the book, members argued that “menstruation occurs regardless of one’s will, and as long as women make up part of society, naturally, their burden must be shared collectively in society.”
They also asserted that menstruation is not just a women’s issue and that men should also take part in the discussions.
"Menstrual products are basic necessities for maintaining hygiene," they said.
The students framed their demand for free menstrual pads as a fundamental right for establishing women's social status.
Headwinds
They faced a number of obstacles to their movement, however.
According to their records, a male faculty member initially refused to even meet with them. He dismissed their concerns during a class by saying, “Women should take care of their lower body needs themselves. We want free razors for men, too.”
Newspapers and magazines also ridiculed the students’ movement, with headlines such as "Shrill voices echoing" or "The real horror of women’s tenacity."
Chikako Fujii, 72, one of the former members who also lives in Sendai, recalls being particularly shocked by the male faculty member’s attitude.
Fujii and other members who lived in a woman’s dormitory in Sendai, including Kisu, based their activities at the dorm and worked tirelessly printing their flyers and newsletters night after night. Working in the drafty wooden dorm was especially tough during the winter, she recalled.
In 1974, the group organized a lecture by the late Mitsu Tanaka, a central figure in Japan’s Women’s Liberation movement. From around that time, their campaign for free menstrual products became a broader call for women’s liberation and gender equality.
"We are not seeking a merit-based system where women try to be 'on par with men' to gain equality,” the students said in one of their documents. "We want all women to live in the ways they like."
In a broader appeal, the group asserted that the movement was “for the liberation of all women, including those who cannot, or choose not to, give birth.”
Kisu and Fujii reflected that their demand was for society to establish a system to support various issues involving all women. They were calling for guaranteeing the right for all women to lead hygienic and healthy lives, they said.
Despite their efforts, the movement came to a halt in December 1976 with the publication of the ninth issue of Women’s Press, as core members were set to graduate from the university.
“Our demands were not met at the time, but the issues we raised are still relevant today,” Kisu said, adding that the publication of the reference book is a step toward bringing the discussions back into the spotlight.
Free sanitary pads
In recent years, sanitary pads are increasingly becoming available for free in public restrooms.
Sendai has been providing free sanitary pads at the Sendai City Gender Equality Promotion Center near JR Sendai Station since the COVID-19 pandemic as part of its support for people facing financial difficulties.
Noriko Goibuchi, 53, a manager at the center, says demand for menstrual products is high.
“We work hard to ensure we don’t run out of supplies midyear," she said. "If they were permanently stocked in restrooms, women could go about their daily lives with greater peace of mind."
Every day at the center, someone uses menstrual pads periodically stocked in the stalls in the women’s restrooms. Some women even come to the center’s reception desk to request sanitary pads, officials say.
Fifty years after the female students’ movement at Tohoku University, more and more places nationwide are offering free menstrual products in public restrooms, but they are still not considered essential supplies like toilet paper.
Whenever a disaster strikes, shelters struggle with menstrual product shortages, underscoring the continued lack of social recognition of their necessity.
"One major reason behind it is that there are still not enough women in decision-making positions," Kisu said.
Having worked on gender equality issues as a city official, Kisu continues to train female leaders even after retirement. Her passion from the student movement remains deeply in her heart, she said.
In today’s context
The publication of the book was a collective effort involving Soko Aoki, 47, associate professor of sociology at Tohoku University, and her students who helped transcribe the historical materials.
"The idea of treating menstrual products as restroom supplies is not widely shared even among women,” Aoki said. “Social movements, such as women’s liberation, are often considered something that spread from Tokyo to rural areas, but the fact that such a movement started at Tohoku University is significant and deserves reevaluation."
How are students today resonating with the movement from half a century ago?
Wakana Shimamura, 21, a third-year student at the university, said she had never come across the idea of putting free menstrual products in public restrooms, much like with toilet paper. “But I think the idea would gain widespread support today, when everyone's awareness of gender quality is greater. I want more people to know about the movement from 50 years ago," she said.
Ibuki Hirano, 21, also a third-year student, says she was impressed by the former students’ practical approach to gender equality and their argument that men should also be freed from stereotypical gender norms.
Yuki Hasegawa, 24, a male first-year master’s student, said he renewed his perception about menstruation after learning about the movement.
"I used to think talking about menstruation was somewhat taboo,” he said. “But it’s not a personal issue — it’s a social issue. We shouldn’t treat it as just a woman’s problem."
Kisu plans to spread her campaign again by holding events and discussions using the reference book.
"Providing free menstrual products will lead to a society that acknowledges the biological differences between men and women and one that lets women live as they wish with dignity."
In the book, the 10th issue of Women’s Press was added as new material. A message written in it by a former member of the student group reads: "I (we), who opened a box, will seek to retrieve what was left in the past — as a gift for the future."
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