As summer temperatures climb to new highs in Japan, its biggest city, Tokyo, is changing its workplace dress code to let government employees swap stifling suits for something cooler, including shorts where appropriate, Euronews reported.
The move is the latest chapter in Japan’s long-running «Cool Biz» campaign, a national effort to loosen up office attire so air conditioners don’t have to work overtime. This year, though, the stakes feel higher. Soaring energy costs and mounting pressure on the power grid have turned «dress comfortably» from a suggestion into something closer to a civic duty. Officials are urging employees to prioritize practicality over polish — within reason, and still tailored to the nature of their work.
Plenty of workers are relieved, saying the change makes hot-weather commutes more bearable. Others aren’t so sure, arguing that bare knees just don’t belong in an office space.
Meanwhile, Japan’s summers are only getting hotter. With record-breaking heatwaves becoming the norm rather than the exception, the relaxed dress code is just one piece of a broader push to keep workplaces livable and energy bills manageable.
