Japan's Tokyo city workers can wear shorts in summer. Some call it harassment.

Key facts

• Tokyo's metropolitan government is allowing male employees to wear shorts to work.
• The initiative aims to reduce electricity consumption amid rising fuel prices and heat.
• This is an update to the "Cool Biz" campaign, first launched in 2005.
• The move is intended to help employees feel more comfortable and potentially improve work efficiency.
• Some employees have expressed nervousness but also comfort and improved efficiency.
• The decision coincides with Japan's heatstroke warning system activation.

Tokyo's metropolitan government has announced that male employees will be permitted to wear shorts to work this summer, an expansion of the "Cool Biz" initiative aimed at reducing energy consumption and improving comfort amid rising fuel prices and extreme heat. Governor Yuriko Koike, who spearheaded the original "Cool Biz" campaign in 2005 as environment minister, is encouraging businesses across the capital to adopt similar relaxed dress codes.

The move is intended to help employees feel more comfortable and potentially reduce reliance on air conditioning, especially as Japan faces forecasts of even hotter weather than last year's record-breaking temperatures. The initiative is also seen as a measure to mitigate the economic effects of global conflicts, which have led to rising oil prices and concerns about energy supply, particularly for resource-poor Japan which depends heavily on Middle Eastern oil imports.

While some employees have expressed that the change leads to greater comfort and improved work efficiency, the decision has also drawn swift backlash, with some critics deeming the relaxed rules inappropriate. The Tokyo government aims to lead by example, with staff in various departments, including the Bureau of Environment, seen embracing the new attire. This policy shift reflects a broader reevaluation of traditional workplace attire in Japan, influenced by both climate change and the need for energy conservation.