In April, a law was approved in Japan that combines the well-being of workers with the need to cut energy costs. The governor of Tokyo has launched an initiative that allows civil servants to wear shorts at work. Although the measure serves the well-being of citizens, not everyone agrees. A term has even been coined for “leg hair” harassment.
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The origins of the measure
The program that recommends wearing light, shorter clothing is called Tokyo cool biz. The initiative, however, is older than it seems and has always been linked to the energy theme. It was the height of the second oil shock, that of 1979 triggered by the Islamic revolution in Iran, when the Japanese had to deal with the increase in fuel prices. A situation that has not changed much after almost 50 years: the Land of the Rising Sun depends for around 90 percent on crude oil imports from the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. At that time, then Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira tried to raise awareness among the population by wearing a short-sleeved jacket, the “energy-saving look”, as the newspapers called it.
The first program
However, the first real Cool biz was introduced in 2005 by Yuriko Koike when she was Minister of the Environment. The aim of the policy was to limit the use of air conditioning in offices and, consequently, greenhouse gas emissions. The measure arrived at a very specific moment, when the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 international agreement for the reduction of polluting gases, came into force.
The program was declined in a narrower version in April 2026 by Koike herself who in the meantime became governor of Tokyo. In fact, at the beginning the Cool biz initiative was aimed at all private companies. While Tokyo cool biz has public employees as its reference point. Men are advised to wear shorts to the office, a turning point for a world that makes formality the law.
The reason for the measure is obvious: to allow lighter clothing in the workplace so as to save on air conditioning. Japan, in fact, is not exempt from climate change. From May to September, thermostats in government offices are set to 28 degrees, in accordance with national standards. But the summer of 2025 was the hottest on record, with temperatures about four degrees higher than historical averages. In 2026, the Japanese Meteorological Agency even introduced a new term to indicate scorching days with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius: kokushobi, or “unbearably hot” days.
The controversies
Although the rule was designed to accommodate citizens, the more informal garment is not accepted by everyone. A survey conducted by cosmetics company Gorilla Clinic found that 53.5 percent of Japanese are against wearing shorts in the workplace, while 46.5 percent are in favor. In addition to being justified by habit, the Japanese’s reluctance towards Bermuda shorts and shorts can also be explained by some aesthetic standards. Some employees have expressed their discomfort at seeing their colleagues’ leg hair. Japanese media refer to sune-hara (“leg hair harassment”) to describe some women’s revulsion at the unshaved legs of men in the office.