Cool Biz campaign begins across Japan

Of the nine Environment Ministry employees shown in the photo to be working at their desks on May 1, only four are wearing masks. I guess that “COVID custom” is gradually fading away.

Now they have more excuse not to turn on the air conditioning even it's starting not convenient inside the room.

Its amazing how Japanese nationals are under control of the government as depicted by this cool biz campaign.

It's not even warm yet!!

Its amazing how Japanese nationals are under control of the government

In so many instances, the government needs to tell Japan's stubborn and rules-bound private sector what to do.

I remember getting a suit made in Bangkok in the late 90s. The tailor told me the Japanese customers would get the lightest suit jackets possible with the lining removed except for the shoulders. All the other expats when jacketless during the hot season, but not the Japanese. That changed after Koizumi's "cool biz" campaign.

This campaign does make sense if in the same time the room temperature, air conditioning is adjusted. But is it ?

Is there any statistics to show the positive results or is that just the usual annual or ?

In my company, it is cool biz all year round and I can tell you most companies I am dealing with are the same, the tie being reserved for the business meetings.

If they are serious about saving energy, they need to stop cranking up the heat during “winter” months. 28 is not healthy in the winter or summer.

Probably windows open for “kanki” and AC blasting full.

Thats how it should be casual dress no need to be in a 3 piece suit. Become more like the USA dress how you want and with style.

Here's a radical idea. Allow office workers to wear casual clothes all throughout the year (with exceptions). We aren't in the 1980's anymore. And the ugly, cheap suits most people buy because they have to is visually worse anyway.

To be honest, if the clothing for cool biz is acceptable attire during the campaign, then it should be acceptable year round. It's time to allow everyone to wear clothing based on their own body temperature.

There's actually 13 people in the photo .

5 people can be seen wearing masks.

Actually 12 in the photo.

Four clearly wearing masks. Five clearly not. And three too obstructed for a determination to be made.

There's actually 13 people in the photo .

5 people can be seen wearing masks.

—

Actually 12 in the photo.

Four clearly wearing masks. Five clearly not.

Oh, look what COVID has done to us! A segment celebrates those fearfully clutching to their masks. A segment celebrates those carefreely returning to life without.

It also suggests office air conditioners be set at 28 degrees Celsius.

28 degrees Celsius in an enclosed environment with no breeze is just asking for continued sweating and physical exhaustion. Middle East, South and Southeast Asian countries would probably scoff at this idea of setting your air conditioner at that temperature just to save on electricity. Why not just have them work shorter hours instead? I bet 10-15 switched on computers up until late at night would consume more power than an AC set at a colder temperature.

It's a pity the robots can't get to decide what to wear! And why wear dress shoes every day in the summer heat and humidity of Tokyo? Traditional footwear is geta.

The followship of the ring, in unison.

Hey, it’s much easier than thinking for yourself! Decisions are hard man!

maxjapankToday  07:58 am JST

To be honest, if the clothing for cool biz is acceptable attire during the campaign, then it should be acceptable year round. It's time to allow everyone to wear clothing based on their own body 

These days (over the past 2 to 3 years) it has become ok to dress casually year round in many companies including in conservative sector like banks. It goes even further than smart casual, jeans are allowed. The only exception is for people meeting customers who have to still wear a suit. At least it is the case for large companies. May be different for smaller ones. Ok

I wish they'd do daylight savings here. During summer when I leave my house at 7am it's already 32 degrees on some days. I'd love it if they moved the clocks back two hours, it would make going to work easier and we'd have sunlight until 10pm then.

Exactly... Daylight at 4am and darkness at 7pm is ridiculous.

Could shift the whole country 2 hours forward and it would be terrific and save a boat load of energy.

Yeah setting an aircon at 28 degrees is pretty useless.

Not a staged photo at all…….

and until shorts are allowed, don’t call it cool anything.

My preferred temperature is 25ºC.

Masks trap heat, necessitating more AC usage. Therefore advocating mask usage during the hot summer months is in effect advocating for more global warming.

In some companies, where the oyajis inisist on wearing suits and jackets in summer; the rooms are usually so cold that the more sensibly-dressed 'office ladies' have heaters under their desks to stay warm!

28 degrees is pretty hot. Wearing a mask will increase your body temperature by roughly 3 degrees. Good luck workers.

Elvis is here

It's not even warm yet!!

Maybe not where you are. But, we've had a few days in Kansai in the upper 20's where merely opening windows wasn't enough, so I had to run the AC for a coupla hours. It was only a couple of hours, not the whole day. But, it was certainly warm enough during that time.

It still gets pretty cool at night, though. The kind of weather that used to contribute to lowering resistance to illness. Not anymore. Ever since covid, and the associated precautions, I can't remember the last time a had a common cold.

It also suggests office air conditioners be set at 28 degrees Celsius.

This temperature setting in an office with running computers and other tech? Might as well get the employees to work outside since they clearly want to them sweat through their "casual" clothes.

For a house at least, energy consumption due to cooling in summer is a small fraction of energy consumption for heating in winter. What this means is that it makes more sense to focus on economizing in winter than economizing in summer.

I went freelance before Cool Biz but I would struggle to work in an office with heavily rationed air con. I'd probably have to quit to save my mental health.

Just use common sense and dress appropriately for the situation and the weather.

That’s climate change solved, well done guys! (Guys in the colloquial, modern non-binary sense before anyone starts moaning).

It’s still uniformity. While the most productive and innovative countries wear jeans and a T-shirt Japan is still hung on presentation . Yes , the mask is a cultural norm now for many. It’s part of the uniform which indicates’I’m a good person’. It’s all quite dehumanising.

Need cool biz in winter as well, Japanese offices always have insane heating often set at 28C, it is often more unbearable than summers.

Why can't people choose what they want to wear, so long it looks presentable?

Cool Biz, which will last until Sept 30, encourages workers to dress down, ditching their suits and ties for open-necked, short-sleeved shirts in their offices. It also suggests office air conditioners be set at 28 degrees Celsius.

Another meaningless encouragement made by an inept government

if you want to save electricity, use less lighting. If you work on a computer at night, one LED light inserted at the USB slot to light up your keyboard is all you need. You can even do that in your bedroom without disturbing your mate's sleep. That way, you save a lot of money. You can buy such an LED-USB light from Daiso or Seria for 110 yen, tax included. Very good for the eyes as you gaze into the dark beyond your screen occasionally. I have been doing that for two years and will continue. Best innovation since Edison.

With all the confusing and meaningless rules my company has for appropriate "cool biz" attire, I end up not doing it at all and just wear the same thing year round at the office which is a shirt with rolled up sleeves, no tie, and suit pants.

Such a joke. News last night showed a video from a Cool Biz office and the worker had one hand on a computer mouse and with the other hand he was fanning him. LOL

It's not even warm yet!!

Another "naicha" centric comment.

It was 30C in some places in Naha today, and even hotter in some "local" areas that are not official recording locations. My car's thermometer for the outside temp, was 32C when I was stuck in traffic in the blazing sun.

Folks have to realize that while this may be "official" for the government, many places have it year round, because down here the weather doesnt cooperate with the calendar.

So we are too civilized for 28 degrees C. How did we get to this?

Well, considering Japans reliance on Russia for its energy needs, I had expected a more drastic response. Do we need to support the Russian war machine and the risk on nuclear energy, to keep the aircons running at max?

Cool Biz is fine, but it's not going to be very cool if the air conditioner is set at 28! It's still going to be hot. I don't know if I could work in that type of setting.

I'd love it if they moved the clocks back two hours

You mean forward two hours.

Why can't people choose what they want to wear, so long it looks presentable?

Probably because lots of people can't be trusted to look presentable.

Business attire originally worn by northern Europeans is ludicrously impractical for tropical asian summers.

One of the reasons I left Japan was the ridiculous lack of air conditioning and requirements to wear shirt/tie at some places despite the cool biz propaganda campaign. From the end of Spring until it got cold in late Oct/Nov, I spent most days with a drenched undershirt which gave me skin issues. Here in the US, many corporations have relaxed standards so much that people who do not face clients may wear shorts to work, but chinos and short sleeved polo shirts are the norm.