Tokyo’s shorts policy for office workers sparks leg hair debate

Japanese men are showing more leg at work than ever this summer, as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government continues pushing employees toward casual attire that includes shorts alongside t-shirts and trainers.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike introduced the initiative, known as Tokyo Cool Biz, in April, aiming to build on her signature cooling campaign that has become a recognized annual tradition across the city each summer. Nearly four months into the programme, the newly permitted office shorts have drawn a mixed reaction from workers and commentators alike.

Some people have welcomed the more relaxed dress code, saying it allows them to work comfortably despite the intense summer heat. Others argue the policy creates an unequal standard for women, who remain expected to wear tights even when showing part of their legs, while men can now go bare legged in shorts. A number of women have also described discomfort at having to see male colleagues’ leg hair in the office, a phenomenon some online commentators have labeled leg hair harassment.

Noboru Watanabe, an environmental official with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, said the goal is to give people more clothing options during severe heat rather than dictate what they must wear, adding that there should be no issue as long as workplace attire does not offend anyone.

Casual dress has grown more common among Japanese workers in recent years, particularly at startups and technology companies, but this year’s government recommendation has made the shift more broadly acceptable across traditional workplaces as well. Even so, some men have reported feeling self conscious about exposing their leg hair for the first time in a professional setting.

Dr. Akifumi Funatsu, director of Gorilla Clinic, said he has noticed a rise in clients visiting the clinic not purely for cosmetic reasons but out of concern for what he described as social etiquette when wearing shorts, suggesting the policy shift has begun influencing personal grooming habits among Japanese men beyond the office itself.

The debate reflects a broader tension in Japan between longstanding workplace dress norms and growing efforts to modernize corporate culture in response to increasingly severe summer heat, with officials balancing calls for greater comfort against concerns about fairness between male and female employees navigating different expectations around appropriate office attire.