Tokyo eases formal dress codes at work to reduce air conditioner use

On a hot and humid day in Tokyo, metropolitan government official Noboru Watanabe overcame embarrassment to come to work in shorts, an unusual choice in a country where formal business attire is still the norm, Euronews writes.

The loosening of a strict dress code, particularly for men, comes as Japanese offices strive to cut reliance on air conditioning due to high energy costs linked to the Middle East war.

On Tuesday, as temperatures in the capital soared to around 34C, at least five brave men at Watanabe’s office swapped their suits for shorts.

The 50-year-old told AFP he initially found it “embarrassing” to bare his legs in the office.

“But once you wear them [shorts], you realise just how comfortable they are,” he said.

The shorts initiative was announced this spring by Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, citing a “challenging outlook for electricity supply.”

Last year Japan sweltered through its hottest summer since records began in 1898, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

Temperatures rising to 40C and above have become so common that the agency in April unveiled an official designation for these extreme weather events, labelling them “cruelly hot” or “kokusho” days.