Yumi Ishikawa (石川 優実, Ishikawa Yumi, born 1 January 1987) is a Japanese actress,[1] model,[2] political activist and writer.[3] She is a founder of the KuToo movement.[4] In 2019, she was included on the BBC's 100 Women list.[5]
In 2004, Ishikawa started her career as a gravure idol.[9] She has since then released more than 30 image DVDs[10] and won the Cream Girl competition.[11] She started acting in 2008.[12] In 2014, she starred in the film Onna no Ana.[13] She has also appeared in films such as Yuwaku wa Arashi no Yoru ni[14] and Itsuka no Natsu.[15]
KuToo movement
In January 2019, Ishikawa wrote a complaint about the requirement to wear high heels at work, which was shared nearly 30,000 times on Twitter.[16] She launched an online petition to call for a law that bans employers from forcing women to wear high heels.[17] The name of the KuToo movement derives from the Japanese words for shoes (kutsu) and pain (kutsū), as well as the Me Too movement.[18] In June 2019, Ishikawa submitted the petition to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.[19]
Recognition
In October 2019, Ishikawa was included on the BBC's annual 100 Women list.[5]