{"id":5303,"date":"2026-07-19T21:35:43","date_gmt":"2026-07-19T21:35:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5303"},"modified":"2026-07-19T21:35:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-19T21:35:43","slug":"men-in-shorts-are-shaking-up-japans-buttoned-down-offices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=5303","title":{"rendered":"Men in shorts are shaking up Japan’s buttoned-down offices"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TOKYO \u2014 For more than three decades, Noboru Watanabe wore the uniform of the Japanese salaryman: trousers, a starched shirt, a jacket, and a necktie.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Federal agents were told FBI will no longer investigate ICE confrontations<\/a><\/p>\n

But last week, Watanabe, 53, an environmental official in Tokyo, ditched the outfit for the unimaginable: a T-shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. He was taking advantage of a new policy by the Tokyo government to allow its workers to wear shorts in the office, after successive summers of record-breaking heat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone says I look younger,\u201d Watanabe said near his desk on a recent afternoon. \u201cI seem more approachable. I feel I am helping relax the whole office.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The policy is the latest attempt by Japanese officials to persuade the country\u2019s millions of office workers to dress down in the summer to make office life more comfortable, reduce the use of air-conditioning, and save energy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under the \u201cCool Biz\u201d initiative, the government encourages workers to forgo heavy suits in favor of polo shirts, linen tops, and sneakers in hot weather.<\/span><\/p>\n

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