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School uniforms used in Japan
the gyaru form of Japanese girls' school uniform

The Japanese school uniform is modeled in appearance similar to that of the European style naval uniforms. It was first used in Japan in the late 19th century, replacing the traditional kimono. Today, school uniforms are common in many of the Japanese public and private school systems. The Japanese word for this type of uniform is (制服).

The majority of Japan's junior high and high schools require students to wear uniforms. The Japanese school uniform is not only a symbol of youth but also plays an important role in the country's culture, as they are felt to help instill a sense of discipline and community among youth. There are many types of uniforms that range from standard to unique ones varying in the ensembles used. Japanese school uniforms have been around for 150 years. Originally students just wore standard everyday clothes to school; kimono for female students, with hakama for male students. During the Meiji period, students began to wear uniforms modelled after Western dress. [[File:Shimoda Utako in hifu and hakama. jpg|thumb|Shimoda Utako in hakama; she was an advocate for dress reform. Utako Shimoda (1854–1936), a women's activist, educator and dress reformer, found traditional kimono to be too restrictive, preventing women and girls from moving and taking part in physical activities, harming their health. While western dress was being adopted at the time, she also believed corsets to be restrictive and harmful to women's health. She adapted the clothing worn by ladies in waiting at the Japanese imperial court, which included hakama, to make a uniform for her Jissen Women's School. During the Meiji period (1868–1912) and the following Taishō period (1912–1926), other women's schools also adopted the hakama. It became standard wear for high schools in Japan, While this style of uniform is still in use, many schools have moved to more Western pattern Catholic school uniform styles. These uniforms consist of a white shirt, tie, blazer with school crest, and tailored trousers (often not of the same colour as the blazer) for boys and a white blouse, tie, blazer with school crest, and tartan culottes or skirt for girls. Regardless of what type of uniform any particular school assigns its students, all schools have a summer version of the uniform (usually consisting of just a white dress shirt and the uniform slacks for boys and a reduced weight traditional uniform or blouse and tartan skirt with tie for girls) and a sports activity uniform (a polyester track suit for year round use and a T shirt and short pants for summer activities). Depending on the discipline level of any particular school, students may often wear different seasonal and activity uniforms within the same classroom during the day. Individual students may attempt to subvert the system of uniforms by wearing their uniforms incorrectly or by adding prohibited elements such as large loose socks or badges. Girls may shorten their skirts, permanently or by wrapping up the top to decrease length; boys may wear trousers about the hips, omit ties, or keep their shirts unbuttoned. Since some schools do not have sex segregated changing or locker rooms, students may change for sporting activities in their classrooms. As a result, such students may wear their sports uniforms under their classroom uniforms. Certain schools also regulate student hairstyles, footwear, and book bags; but these particular rules are usually adhered to only on special occasions, such as trimester opening and closing ceremonies and school photo days. It is normal for uniforms to be worn outside of school areas, but this is going out of fashion and many students wear casual dress outside of school. While not many public elementary schools in Japan require uniforms, many private schools and public schools run by the central government still do so.

The (学ラン), also called the (詰襟), is the uniform for many middle school and high school boys in Japan. The colour is normally black, but some schools use navy blue. The top has a standing collar buttoning down from top to bottom. Buttons are usually decorated with the school emblem to show respect to the school. Pants are straight leg and a black or dark coloured belt is worn with them. Boys usually wear penny loafers or sneakers with this uniform. Some schools may require the students to wear collar pins representing the school and/or class rank. Traditionally, the gakuran is also worn along with a matching (usually black) student cap, although this custom is less common in modern times. The gakuran is derived from the Prussian Waffenrock or the Christian clergy cassock. The term is a combination of (学) meaning "study" or "student", and (らん/蘭) meaning the Netherlands or, historically in Japan, the West in general; thus, gakuran translates as "Western style clothes for student (uniform)". The original model of the present day gakuran was first established in 1873 for students of all schools. During the Japanese occupation, such clothing was also brought to school in Korea, pre 1980s Taiwan, Manchukuo and pre 1949 China. Nowadays, the gakuran is still worn in some South Korean high schools. While the gakuran is associated solely as the boys' uniform of both most middle schools and conservative high schools nowadays, blazers began to be adopted in most number of high schools in Japan (both public and private).

Historically, school uniforms in Japan are decided on the basis of sex, with trousers for male students and skirts for female students. However, in April 2019, public junior high schools in Tokyo's Nakano Ward began allowing students to choose their uniform regardless of sex. This started with a sixth grader who did not want to wear skirts in junior high school and asked her female classmates for their opinions on uniforms. The responses showed that most of her classmates also wanted the freedom to choose their uniforms. The young student delivered the survey results to the mayor of Nakano, and all of the principals for the ward's public junior high schools agreed on the proposal, allowing students to freely choose their uniforms. Schools allowing trousers for female students rose to 600 in 2019 from only four in 1997, and over 400 schools adopted genderless uniforms for 2022's fiscal year. There was a lot of support from female students for the adaptation of genderless uniforms and the implementation of slacks since it allowed for more comfort by keeping their legs warm and making it easier to ride their bicycles. The decision for genderless uniforms is also in consideration of sexual minority students. Genderless swimwear gradually evolved from the need to protect against sunburn to a desire to deemphasize body shape by adding more coverage.

School uniform varies throughout different schools in Japan, with some schools known for their particular uniforms. School uniform can have a nostalgic characteristic for former students, and are often associated with relatively carefree youth. Uniforms are sometimes modified by students as a means of exhibiting individualism. This is done in ways such as lengthening or shortening the skirt, removing the ribbon, hiding patches or badges under the collar, etc. In past decades, brightly coloured variants of the sailor outfits were also adopted by Japanese yankii, sukeban and bōsōzoku biker gangs.