Business-formal tradition melts away in modern-temperature Tokyo.

For a very long time, the baseline attitude in Japan has been that if you’re working in an office, you should be wearing formal business attire. However, while people in Japan may place great value on traditions, climate change, by its very nature, is unconcerned with conforming to the status quo. With Japan Meteorological Agency data showing the country has experienced its hottest summer on record for three years in a row, the Tokyo metropolitan government decided to rethink the dress code at Tocho, Tokyo’s city hall complex, and now allows workers to wear attire that would have been unthinkable a generation ago: shorts.

The relaxing of regulations came as part of new “cool biz” initiatives introduced at the start of the administrative year, which begins in spring in Japan. As of April 3, employees “working within the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building [Tocho]” are allowed to wear shorts. They’re also allowed to work in T-shirts, though it’s worth noting that, especially among older speakers, in Japanese “T-shirts” is sometimes used to refer to pull-over tops in general, and not only the sort of thing you might wear at the gym or buy at a concert by your favorite band.

Ideally, the relaxed dress code will produce a number of benefits. From a worker safety standpoint, lighter, better-breathing attire should function as a heatstroke countermeasure on hot days, and in fact Tocho has also instituted a new heatstroke alarm system to alert employees to stay cool and hydrated during extreme temperatures. The option of wearing shorts and T-shirts also would allow for running air conditioners at more moderate levels, lessening energy usage and environmental impact. Finally, comfortable workers tend to be more effective workers, so the new dress code could also lead to improved productivity within the halls of Tocho.

“At first I thought I’d feel self-conscious,” says one male Tocho worker who worked a recent shift in shorts, “but it really is comfortable wearing them, and I could feel myself making smoother progress with my work. Up until now, I’ve usually worn polo shirts and chinos in the office, but shorts really are cooler and more comfortable than long pants.”

The new policy isn’t coming without public blowback about the breezy wardrobe choices. Shorts, especially when worn by men, have long been seen as decidedly casual attire in Japan, and some online commenters have grumbled about the idea of government employees dressing in such a laid-back style. The until-now rarity of uncovered male legs in the workplace also raises grooming-related business etiquette questions, as in many Japanese offices stubbly facial hair is discouraged or banned, causing some to wonder if men choosing to wear shorts at Tocho should then also be willing to shave their legs or otherwise remove lower body hair.

Despite complaints from those who perceive the new dress code as representing a loss of professional decorum, the above videos appear to imply that shorts are being allowed for workers in internal/back office positions, not necessarily for those in roles which involve directly interacting with residents and other members of the public coming to Tocho to take care of administrative issues. And with Japan’s summers becoming so hot that the country is needing to create new words to describe the heat, it’s nice to see Tocho taking some sort of countermeasures before the end of spring.

Source: Tokyo MX Plus via Yahoo! Japan News via Hachima Kiko
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