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Ditch suits for shorts in office, Tokyo urges men
As extreme summer heat grips Japan, companies in Tokyo are relaxing office dress codes, making shorts acceptable workwear.
As Japan battles record-breaking summer temperatures, office workers in Tokyo are swapping suits and ties for shorts - a move that is reshaping workplace dress codes and sparking conversations around comfort, gender norms and office etiquette.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government has encouraged employees to forgo heavy suits in favour of polo shirts, linen tops and sneakers, t-shirts, trainers and shorts, to stay cool while reducing air-conditioning use. The initiative builds on Japan's long-running Cool Biz campaign, introduced in 2005 to promote energy conservation during summer.
While many workers have welcomed the relaxed rules, the shift has drawn mixed reactions. According to reports, some women have questioned why men can now wear shorts while women are still expected to adhere to stricter dress and grooming standards, with discussions around visible leg hair even giving rise to the term 'sunehara' or "leg-hair harassment" online.
The policy comes as Japan endures an intense heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 40°C in some areas and thousands of heatstroke-related hospitalisations reported in recent weeks.
Officials, however, maintain that the campaign is about giving workers more options rather than prescribing what they should wear. As extreme weather becomes more frequent, the debate highlights how climate change is beginning to influence not just public health and energy use, but workplace fashion too.
