TOKYO — Japan is the latest battleground for women revolting against the tyranny of high heels, as a fledgling movement seeks government protection from workplaces that require the footwear.

Thousands of supporters have rallied behind the hashtag #KuToo — a pun based on the Japanese words for shoe (kutsu) and pain (kutsuu). It was started by Yumi Ishikawa, a 32-year-old actress who said she had to change career paths after having difficulty standing in heels for eight hours during training at a hotel.

She submitted a petition to the labor ministry this week, signed by more than 18,000 people, that called for a law barring employers from forcing women to wear high heels. As of Tuesday, there had been no official response to the petition, but Ms. Ishikawa said her efforts were greeted with skepticism by officials, who said it would be difficult to legislate the issue until the working world changed its culture.

“I guess the government and corporate communities don’t want to take a risk to change the society,” she said on Tuesday.