Frequent 'Extreme Heat Days' Over 40 Degrees; Tokyo Metropolitan Government Encourages Employees to Wear Shorts
Due to concerns about rising energy costs from the Middle East conflict and frequent 'extreme heat days' over 40 degrees Celsius, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is encouraging employees to wear shorts to reduce reliance on air conditioning. This initiative, supported by Governor Koike, aims to save electricity as part of an upgraded Cool Biz campaign.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 17:30
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Tokyo 24th comprehensive foreign report) With concerns about rising energy costs due to the Middle East war, Japanese officials said today that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is encouraging employees to wear shorts to work, reducing reliance on air conditioning.
Agence France-Presse reported that this relaxation of dress code is an upgraded version of "Cool Biz." Japan's "Cool Biz" energy-saving initiative was launched by the Ministry of the Environment in 2005, encouraging employees to ditch suits and ties in summer. At that time, some officials were even seen wearing Okinawan-style open-collar shirts to work.
A Tokyo Metropolitan Government official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Agence France-Presse that concerns about energy triggered by the Middle East war were "one of the factors" that prompted the Tokyo authorities to raise the level of energy saving and allow employees to wear shorts starting this month.
According to local media reports earlier this week, some male employees have already been seen working in shorts and T-shirts in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike fully supports this. Twenty years ago, it was Koike who launched the "Cool Biz" campaign during her tenure as Minister of the Environment.
Koike told the media earlier this month that given the "severe outlook for electricity supply and demand," this summer "we encourage 'cool and smart' attire that prioritizes comfort, including polo shirts, T-shirts, and sneakers, and shorts can be worn depending on the nature of the work."
Koike also said that the new "Cool Biz" initiative also includes expanding the promotion of remote work and early commuting.
According to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan experienced its hottest summer since records began in 1898 last year.
As temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius become increasingly common, the Japan Meteorological Agency last week named such extreme hot days "extreme heat days." (Compiler: Liu Shu-qin) 1150424
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(Central News Agency, Tokyo 24th comprehensive foreign report) With concerns about rising energy costs due to the Middle East war, Japanese officials said today that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is encouraging employees to wear shorts to work, reducing reliance on air conditioning.
Agence France-Presse reported that this relaxation of dress code is an upgraded version of "Cool Biz." Japan's "Cool Biz" energy-saving initiative was launched by the Ministry of the Environment in 2005, encouraging employees to ditch suits and ties in summer. At that time, some officials were even seen wearing Okinawan-style open-collar shirts to work.
A Tokyo Metropolitan Government official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Agence France-Presse that concerns about energy triggered by the Middle East war were "one of the factors" that prompted the Tokyo authorities to raise the level of energy saving and allow employees to wear shorts starting this month.
According to local media reports earlier this week, some male employees have already been seen working in shorts and T-shirts in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building.
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike fully supports this. Twenty years ago, it was Koike who launched the "Cool Biz" campaign during her tenure as Minister of the Environment.
Koike told the media earlier this month that given the "severe outlook for electricity supply and demand," this summer "we encourage 'cool and smart' attire that prioritizes comfort, including polo shirts, T-shirts, and sneakers, and shorts can be worn depending on the nature of the work."
Koike also said that the new "Cool Biz" initiative also includes expanding the promotion of remote work and early commuting.
According to data from the Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan experienced its hottest summer since records began in 1898 last year.
As temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius become increasingly common, the Japan Meteorological Agency last week named such extreme hot days "extreme heat days." (Compiler: Liu Shu-qin) 1150424
Choose to stand with the facts. Your every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-Hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Texts, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.