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A Japanese department store is reconsidering its controversial plan to ask female employees to wear badges while on their period, saying it didn't mean to cause offence.

The plan was originally aimed at fostering sympathy among co-workers, but triggered massive public outcry with many labelling it "creepy" and "crazy".

The Daimaru Umeda department store in Osaka said on Thursday it had hoped to encourage bonding by having menstruating staff wear a badge featuring an existing manga character named Seiri Chan - loosely translated as 'Miss Period'.

But the store received “many” complaints from the public, according to a male executive who declined to be named.

“Some of them concerned harassment and that was definitely not our intention. We’re reconsidering plans now,” he said.

The Daimaru executive said the store had not intended to make the badge compulsory. A spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

The backlash comes as Japan faces increasing criticism over its "outdated" treatment of women in the workforce.

Earlier this year, the Japanese labour and health minister sparked anger across the world when he declared it was “necessary and appropriate” to force women to wear high heels to work.

Takumi Nemoto made the comments in response to a petition calling for the Japanese government to ban workplaces from enforcing female employees to wear heeled shoes.

“It’s generally accepted by society that (wearing high heels) is necessary and reasonable in workplaces,” Mr Nemoto told a legislative committee on Wednesday.

The petition was signed by nearly 20,000 people and was submitted by a group linked to the Japanese #KuToo movement — a blend of the #MeToo hashtag with the Japanese words kutsu (shoes) and kutsuu (pain).

The campaign is led by actor and writer Yumi Ishikawa who says the dress codes in Japanese workplaces are discriminatory and need to be scrapped.

“I hope this campaign will change the social norm so that it won’t be considered to be bad manners when women wear flat shoes like men,” she said.

Others claim the demands to wear heels is akin to modern foot-binding.

-With wires