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Japan·Climate

Tokyo urges office workers to wear shorts as deadly heat grips Japan

Wednesday, 22 July 2026, 06:47 · 1 min read

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has launched a "Tokyo Cool Biz" campaign encouraging employees to swap suits and ties for casual attire — including shorts and t-shirts — as Japan faces record summer temperatures. The initiative, spearheaded by Governor Yuriko Koike, has drawn mixed reactions: while some welcome the comfort, a vocal number of women have criticised the policy as unfair, noting they are still expected to wear tights when baring their legs, with some coining the term "sunehara" to describe the discomfort of being exposed to male colleagues' leg hair. The campaign comes as Japan's extreme heat has turned deadly, with seven people killed by heatstroke and over 4,500 hospitalised in a single week in early July.

Sources
BBC WorldTokyo urges men to wear shorts to work, but some women say it's 'leg hair harassment' ↗︎
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