TOKYO URGED SHORTS AT WORK; 53.5% IN SURVEY SAID NO
Tokyo’s Cool Biz shorts push has men baring their legs at work, and some women are calling the leg hair harassment.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike introduced an expanded “Tokyo Cool Biz” initiative in April 2026, urging more casual options including T-shirts, sneakers and shorts. Tokyo government workers were photographed in shorts on July 14, 2026, and the BBC laid out the fallout on July 21, 2026.
The Japan Times quoted Koike telling reporters: “We encourage ‘cool’ attire that prioritizes comfort, including polo shirts, T-shirts and sneakers, and — depending on job responsibilities — shorts.”
Tokyo environmental official Noboru Watanabe told the BBC the guidance is not an order. “We want to give people more options in the severe heat, not tell them what to wear. There should be no issue as long as the work attire is not offensive to anyone,” he said.
Why Tokyo is doing it
The campaign builds on Koike’s original “Cool Biz” energy-saving drive, launched in 2005 when she was Japan’s environment minister. Then-prime minister Junichiro Koizumi appeared in public without a tie or jacket to sell it.
After the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan rolled out “Super Cool Biz,” which widened the energy-saving advice to work and home. This time the goal is to help workers cope with severe heat and cut air-conditioning demand, the BBC said, as Japan battled record heat and high energy prices.
Japan’s humidity makes it harder for sweat to evaporate, so the body struggles to cool itself. Fan-equipped clothing, disposable wet towels, heat-blocking umbrellas and portable handheld fans have all become popular, the BBC reported.
Tokyo has had odder headlines this year too, like the man arrested at a Tokyo airport after smuggling lizards inside socks.
The leg hair backlash
Some commentators welcomed the relaxed rules because they make hot-weather work more comfortable. Others pointed out an imbalance: some women are still expected to wear tights when showing part of their legs, while men can simply opt for shorts.
Then came “sunehara,” an online term for “leg hair harassment.” Global News reported on the complaint, and some women said they felt uncomfortable seeing male colleagues’ leg hair.
Dr Akifumi Funatsu, director of Gorilla Clinic, told the BBC more clients were seeking hair removal partly as “social etiquette when wearing shorts.” He said he believed some women think “men should have less leg hair,” which pushes men toward laser removal so they don’t offend anyone.
Sachie Koike, a 52-year-old realtor, told The Japan Times she was fine with men skipping ties or jackets but felt shorts went too far. “I associate them with a day off,” she said, adding: “I just don’t think hairy legs look very neat.”
What the survey found
A June survey by Gorilla Clinic found 53.5% of respondents opposed shorts at work in summer, with the rest in favor, Daily Sabah reported.
Qazinform reported that body shape or body hair was the main worry for many of those opposed. Approval of a jacket-and-shorts outfit fell sharply when the model’s legs were shown with visible hair, compared with a hair-free look.
What happened next
Shorts remain an option rather than a rule, and the guidance does not require every Tokyo employer to allow them.
On September 1, 2026, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government published an explanation of its wider Cool Biz measures. It covers clothing, work style and home settings, and lists shorts, T-shirts, fan-equipped clothing, sneakers, telework, early shifts, air conditioning and heat acclimatization.
The page says formal occasions still call for formal attire and that clothing should be adjusted to the task and situation. It was last updated on October 6, 2026.
