(Tokyo) It was the end of another long, hot summer in Tokyo, and the city’s salarymen were looking at their wardrobes with fear.
Every year, from May to September, salarymen, employees and non-executive executives of Japanese companies and administrations, renowned for their conservatism, abandon their dark and classic suits for more casual outfits. Gone are the ties and starched shirts, make way for short-sleeved polo shirts and linen shirts, and even, on occasion, Hawaiian clothing. Then, as October approaches, formality takes over, even if the temperatures are not radically cooler.
The makeover is part of a Japanese initiative known as “Cool Biz,” an optimistic description of what might as well be called “hot office.” Since May 1, workplaces have set their thermostats to 28 degrees Celsius, a sweat-inducing proposition in Tokyo’s humidity.
As uncomfortable as they are, Japan’s offices offer a model for reducing greenhouse gas emissions for countries around the world, which have contributed to record heatwaves and extreme weather events. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, August was the hottest on record in Japan, and daily maximum temperatures in Tokyo remained above 32 degrees Celsius until the end of September.
Cool Biz is one of many simple, cost-effective energy-saving initiatives in Japan, a resource-poor country that relies on fuel imports for nearly 90 percent of its energy needs. These measures have helped keep Japan’s per capita energy consumption at about half that of the United States, according to statistics from the London-based Energy Institute.
Unlike Japanese workers, Americans were hostile to the idea of thermal discomfort. During the oil crisis of the 1970s, President Jimmy Carter became the laughing stock of the country for daring to ask people to turn down the thermostat and put on an extra layer during the winter. In summer, many American offices are still so cold that employees rely on space heaters and wear warm sweaters.
In Japan, Cool Biz has become particularly popular with women, who tend to wear lighter clothing and often complain about the cold temperatures needed to make suits comfortable for their male colleagues. Women are still largely underrepresented in decision-making positions in Japanese offices.
Today, more than 86% of workplaces participate in the Cool Biz program, according to a Department of the Environment survey. The program’s success was achieved without any rules or financial incentives, said Yusuke Inoue, director of the ministry’s carbon-free lifestyle promotion office.
Instead, the government encouraged politicians and business leaders to ditch their jackets and ties, a behavior that quickly became widespread. By switching to lighter clothing, people no longer wanted the thermostat set so low, Mr. Inoue noted.
Tatsuya Murase, 29, who works for a shipping company, confirmed that customers now expect less formal attire.
“When I visit my clients today, they all seem to be very flexible and generous about the no-jacket style,” said Mr. Murase, who was wearing a blue and white plaid button-down shirt when he left two colleagues near Tokyo Station last week.
Keita Janaha, 34, an assistant manager at a local bank, said some of his male colleagues found the office too hot, but it was acceptable for customers arriving from outside in cold weather.
Cool Biz has its roots in the 1970s, when the Japanese followed some of the advice that Americans shunned. Nonetheless, Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira’s appearance in a short-sleeved jacket – the “energy-saving look,” as newspapers called it – was considered too unsightly to tolerate.
Yuriko Koike, now governor of Tokyo, introduced Cool Biz to government offices in 2005, when she was environment minister. This initiative coincided with commitments made by Japan under the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 international agreement aimed at reducing greenhouse gases.
Learning from the Ohira “safari” suit debacle, the government embarked on an awareness campaign to convince office workers that it was acceptable to abandon their usual suit jacket and tie, even when they were meeting clients.
The name of the program was chosen from 3,200 suggestions. Then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi set an example by adopting a suave and appropriate look. Officials even persuaded Kenshi Hirokane, author of a popular comic strip about salarymen, to have his characters wear short sleeves.
While the initiative has sparked complaints from tie makers, who have reported falling sales, it has been a boon for retailers such as Uniqlo, with its collection of casual and inexpensive clothing, Made from lightweight, sweat-wicking fabrics. Its polo shirts are now the de facto summer uniform for many office workers.
The program was so successful that it led to a broader “relaxation” of summer style in Japan, said W. David Marx, author of a cultural history of Japanese men’s fashion, Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style.
“It’s an environmental technique, but also, personally, I think everyone realizes that it’s too hot to wear suits,” he said .
Cool Biz’s winter counterpart, Warm Biz, launched at the same time and encouraging workplaces to keep thermostats low, was less successful. Even its mascot – an adorable ninja – had trouble persuading office workers to bundle up in scarves and blankets and shiver at their desks.
Cool Biz has thrived while evolving. In 2011, after the Fukushima nuclear disaster prompted Japan to shut down reactors nationwide, the country again relaxed clothing standards and called on its citizens to further reduce the use of air conditioners to avoid power cuts.
“Super Cool Biz” saved the power grid, but may not have done much for productivity, according to a study that found workers became less productive with each additional degree above 25 degrees Celsius. Even more worrying, a study established a link between reduced air conditioning in homes and increased mortality from heatstroke among the elderly.
Last year, as Japanese summers grew longer and hotter, the Ministry of Environment scrapped the official campaign period, encouraging workplaces to naturally transition from Cool Biz to Warm Biz over time. as temperatures fell. However, most office workers change into their casual attire in May and return to more formal attire at the end of September. Some municipalities have said they will continue the Cool Biz program until October.
Masato Ikehata, a spokesman for Itochu, a company that relaxed its business suit policy in 2017, said the company had set up special “cold compartments” where employees and customers could cool down after entering the building and before holding meetings in warmer office spaces.
Soaring temperatures have led to a series of other adaptations. Personal air conditioners attached to cords, portable electric fans, and necklaces filled with cold packs are common accessories. Construction workers and delivery people have gotten into the habit of wearing vests with two small electric fans sewn into them.
