As a record heat wave with temperatures topping 35 degrees continues day after day in Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has for the first time allowed employees to wear shorts in the office. The move aims to improve employee comfort and save energy, but it has also sparked debate over office dress etiquette.
On the 19th, according to the New York Times (NYT), AP and others, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government for the first summer allowed employees to wear shorts in the office. It is part of Japan's effort to encourage lighter clothing for office workers in summer to make offices more comfortable and reduce air-conditioner use and energy consumption.
Watanabe Noboru, 53, who works on environmental issues at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, recently came to work in a T-shirt and khaki shorts. For more than 30 years, Watanabe had stuck to the typical Japanese office outfit of trousers, a crisply ironed shirt, a jacket and a necktie.
Watanabe said, "Everyone says I look younger," adding, "I think I look a bit more approachable. It also seems to help make the overall atmosphere in the office more relaxed."
Since 2005, the Japanese government has recommended through the "Cool Biz" policy that in hot weather, people wear polo shirts, linen tops and sneakers instead of thick suits.
But on the ground, some say the newly permitted shorts starting this summer go too far. The debate centers not only on office dress etiquette but also on the fact that coworkers have to see bare legs.
In Japan, a new coinage, "sune-hara," has even emerged to describe how some women feel uncomfortable at having to see male colleagues' legs. It combines the Japanese word "sune," meaning shin, and "harassment," and refers to so-called "leg-hair harassment."
Although the policy allows both men and women to wear shorts, some argue reality is different. Men are not judged for what they wear at work, they say, while Japanese women still face pressure to cover their legs with pantyhose or long skirts.
Professor Tamada Atsuko, who teaches French literature at Japan Housewives' University, noted that women are expected to spend significant time and expense on hair removal, foot care and clothing. Tamada said, "If you are now encouraging men to wear shorts or sandals, you should apply the same appearance standards to men as to women."
Still, Tokyo officials expect it will take time for shorts to become commonplace in Japanese offices. The NYT reported that on a recent sweltering afternoon visit to Tokyo Metropolitan Government offices, only 11 of 70 male employees were wearing shorts.