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Japanese women have complained of “leg hair harassment” after men were encouraged to wear shorts to work.
With both temperatures and energy prices soaring, a government “Cool biz” initiative urged men to ditch their traditional salaryman uniforms for shorts and polo shirts this summer.
But the presence of bare legs in the office has triggered so much debate that a new term has been coined in Japanese media – sune-hara, or “leg hair harassment” – to describe the uncomfortable feeling many women feel when forced to see their colleagues’ uncovered limbs.
“I just don’t think hairy legs look very neat,” Sachie Koike, a 52-year-old estate agent, told AFP.
Japan is experiencing increasingly sweltering summers, with a record high of 41.8C set last August.
This year, a new category called “kokushobi”, or “brutally hot day”, was introduced by the Japanese Meteorological Agency to warn of temperatures exceeding 40C.
The alert was issued for the second straight day on Wednesday, while the most recent data from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 4,580 people had been taken to hospital with heatstroke in just one week, from July 6 to 12. Seven died.
To cope with the heat, Yuriko Koike, the governor of Tokyo, introduced the “Tokyo Cool Biz” initiative in April – a version of a scheme she first introduced as environment minister in 2005.
At a press conference then, she said people “have gradually run out of layers to remove”, and were now at “a point where we are down to wearing shorts”.
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Although take-up has reportedly been gradual, businesses have noted a boom in purchases of shorts. One prominent retailer, Yofuku no Aoyama, has even designed an office-appropriate “Cool biz” line with lightweight fabrics, formal styles and neutral colours.
Yui Hamano, a spokesman, told the New York Times: “We paid close attention to the length to ensure it didn’t show too much skin.”
However, a survey by Gorilla Clinic, a Japanese laser hair removal provider, found that 53.5 per cent of respondents opposed wearing shorts in the workplace.
One disgruntled woman said of the new dress code: “Middle-aged men, please do not wear shorts. It makes me uncomfortable. Please do not expose your shins. I don’t want to see them.”
Local media has pointed out the double standards. While the policy officially applies to everyone, many women said they still face pressure to cover their legs with sheer tights or long skirts.
Atsuko Tamada, a professor of French literature at Chubu University in Japan, said: “Women already face significant social pressure to invest time and money in their appearance.
“If men are now encouraged to wear shorts or sandals, should the same standards of appearance apply to them?”
Officials have also urged people to stay hydrated and use air conditioning – although, with energy prices rising because of disrupted supplies linked to war in the Middle East, there are hopes that clothing adjustments can reduce energy consumption.
