40 % der einkommensschwachen Familien in Japan nehmen Schulden für das neue Schulleben ihrer Kinder auf: Umfrage

Yeah well. Even for just elementary school, in my area a set of gym clothes already cost 15000 yen. Some kids grow fast, sometimes stuff gets damaged. If you have more than one kid, it can be pretty tough. Sometimes they have sales where you can get used ones for a couple hundred yen, but no guarantee you’ll be able to get one. 

Education needs to be free for everyone including all fees that come from mandatory expenses, such as non optional clothing. 

People circle jerk about their uniforms making sure everyone is the same and no one comes with dirty clothes while others show up on luxury clothing or whatever but the truth is poorer people suffer under these costs. 

And that is JUST for the uniform. When I was in school, the school would lend textbooks to children, and reuse them, especially for books that don’t require much revision. There are many ways to curb costs, when the mentality isn’t entirely based on shouganai.