Stories

Tue, 21 Jul 2026

Tue, 21 Jul 2026 Tokyo urges men to wear shorts to work, but some women say it's 'leg hair harassment'

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government wants workers to ditch the suit and tie for t-shirts, trainers - and shorts.

* Almost 4 months into "Tokyo Cool Biz" initiative, mixed reviews from employees and commentators
* 46.5% of people in a June survey were in favor of wearing shorts to work in summer, while 53.5% opposed it
* Main reasons for opposition: concern over body shape and body hair, with women significantly outnumbering men in their response
* Some women experiencing "leg hair harassment" or "sunehara", discomfort of being forced to see colleague's leg hair
* Tokyo government official says the policy is meant to give people more options, not tell them what to wear
* Sales of laser hair removal services have increased as some women seek to remove their own body hair due to social etiquette concerns