Tokyo workers encouraged to wear shorts to cut energy costs and keep cool

The Guardian · Apr 24, 2026 · 542 words · By Justin McCurry

Geopolitical Energy Security Climate Change/Heatwave Impact

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/24/tokyo-workers-asked-to-swap-suits-…

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Loaded Language 60% confidence

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fact_checkFact-Check Results

17 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 7

check_circle Corroborated 5

info Single Source 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

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“Public servants working for the Tokyo metropolitan government are being encouraged to swap their suits for shorts this summer to combat sweltering heat and rising energy costs caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results report that the Tokyo metropolitan government is encouraging public servants to wear shorts or casual attire to combat heat and reduce energy costs. One source explicitly links this to the US-Israel conflict context, while others mention general heat/energy conservation efforts.

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web search NEUTRAL — The government then launched a "Super Cool Biz" campaign [7][8] to encourage workers to wear outfits appropriate for the office yet cool enough to endure the summer heat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Biz_campaign

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web search NEUTRAL — Public servants working for the Tokyo metropolitan government are being encouraged to swap their suits for shorts this summer to combat sweltering heat and rising energy costs caused by the US ...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/24/tokyo-workers-…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Tokyo metropolitan government on Wednesday began calling for workplaces to implement Tokyo Cool Biz, a campaign that balances energy conservation with staying comfortable, as this year's special h…
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/2026042…

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“Inspired by Japan’s Cool Biz energy-saving initiative, Tokyo officials hope the measure will cut dependence on air conditioning.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm that the measure is inspired by Japan's Cool Biz initiative and that the goal is to cut dependence on air conditioning.

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web search NEUTRAL — Officials hope more casual attire for public servants will save electricity during Iran war as summer heat approaches.Inspired by Japan’s Cool Biz energy-saving initiative, Tokyo officials hope the me…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/24/tokyo-workers-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Cutting reliance on air conditioningHot pants: Tokyo government workers swap suits for shorts. AFP.People walk past Tokyo Station on a hot day in Tokyo in 2025. This year city authorities are encourag…
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/hot-pants-tokyo-government-w…

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web search NEUTRAL — The founder of Kuchofuku, or "air-conditioned clothing" in Japanese, says sales for his clothes have increased 10-fold.Kuchofuku first launched in 2004, after a trip to Southeast Asia inspired Ichigay…
https://abcnews.com/Business/japan-disaster-sparks-demand-ai…

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“Cool Biz, launched by the environment ministry in 2005, initially encouraged civil servants to dispense with ties and jackets, but has so far stopped short of allowing them to display their bare legs in front of colleagues.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that Cool Biz was launched by the Ministry of the Environment in 2005 to encourage discarding ties and jackets. The sources also confirm that the allowance for bare legs is not mentioned as having been implemented.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Cool Biz campaign is a Japanese campaign initiated by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment from mid-2005 as a means to help reduce Japanese electricity consumption by limiting the use of air c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Biz_campaign

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cool Japan (クールジャパン, Kūru Japan) refers to the aspects of Japanese culture that non-Japanese people perceive as "cool". After the success of "Cool Britannia," the Japanese government started using the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Japan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ministry of the Environment (環境省, Kankyō-shō) is a Cabinet-level ministry of the government of Japan responsible for global environmental conservation, pollution control, and nature conservation. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_the_Environment_(J…

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“Japan and other countries in Asia are growing anxious about the economic effects of the conflict in the Middle East amid rising oil prices and shortages of petroleum products such as jet fuel.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While Wikipedia provides general context on the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, the specific claim linking current anxiety in Japan/Asia to rising oil prices and shortages due to a Middle East conflict is not corroborated by multiple independent news sources. The evidence is too general to confirm the specific anxiety level or the immediate cause across multiple sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Asia-Pacific (APAC), also known as the Indo-Pacific, is a major geopolitical and economic region of the world adjoining the western Pacific Ocean and comprising the part of the Old World located o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia-Pacific

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economie…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Middle East is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, the Levant, and Turkey. The term came into widespread usage by Western European nations in the early 20t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East

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“Resource-poor Japan is particularly vulnerable to a prolonged war as it depends on the Middle East for 90% of its oil imports, most of which pass through the strait of Hormuz.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results and Wikipedia entries corroborate that Japan relies heavily on the Strait of Hormuz for its oil imports, citing figures around 90% and describing it as a major economic risk.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 19 March 2026, the United States began an aerial campaign against Iranian targets to reopen the Strait of Hormuz following its closure by Iran in response to the attacks by the United States and Is…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_campaign

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke point for world energy trade, has been largely blocked by Iran since 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Strait_of_Hormuz_crisis

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Strait of Hormuz () is a waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast lies the Musandam Peninsula under the Musandam Governorate of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strait_of_Hormuz

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“About 20% of the natural gas used in South Korea comes via the same route.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results mention South Korea's natural gas supply in relation to the Strait of Hormuz, but the specific figure of '20%' is only presented in one context (web search result). No other source corroborates this exact percentage.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2011–12 Strait of Hormuz dispute was a dispute between a coalition of countries and Iran. The dispute arose on 27 December 2011, when Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi threatened to clos…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011–2012_Strait_of_Hormuz_dis…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Vietnam, South Korea and other countries have taken steps to ration energy use, while other Asian nations have encouraged government officials to work from home or reduced the length of the working week.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of Wikipedia articles detailing the history and context of Vietnam and South Korea, but it does not contain direct, corroborating reports from multiple independent news sources confirming that Vietnam, South Korea, and other Asian nations *currently* implemented energy rationing, remote work, or reduced work weeks due to a recent event.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Koreans in Vietnam form an unrecognized minority group in Vietnam. The group is made up predominantly of ethnic Korean expatriates who immigrated to Vietnam and ethnic Kinh people (Vietnamese) people …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koreans_in_Vietnam

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Korea, which was at the time an semi-presidential republic under its right-wing president Park Chung Hee, took a major active role in the Vietnam War. The Korean War just a decade prior was stil…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_in_the_Vietnam_War

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — South Korea and Vietnam established formal diplomatic relations on 22 December 1992, though the two countries had already had various historical contacts long before that. According to Vietnamese Prim…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea–Vietnam_relations

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“In Seoul, authorities have urged residents to make short trips on foot or by bicycle.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Seoul authorities have advised residents to take short trips by walking or cycling, corroborating the claim.

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web search NEUTRAL — In Seoul, authorities have urged residents to make short trips on foot or by bicycle. Japan has already tapped into its large strategic oil reserves, with local media reporting on Friday that it plans…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/24/tokyo-workers-…

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web search NEUTRAL — How can the frequency of walking and cycling trips be increased Replace short car trips by walking or cycling The choice of means of transport shows a strong association with the length of the trip, b…
https://www.academia.edu/116858600/Walking_or_Cycling_Facts_…

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web search NEUTRAL — When we consider latent trips, modal share of walking and cycling would respectively increase from 10.1% to 14.7% and from 1.6% to 18.7% while share of car driver would decrease from 54.3% to 42.5%.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330614736_Estimatin…

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“Japan has already tapped into its large strategic oil reserves, with local media reporting on Friday that it plans to release a further 20 days’ worth from 1 May.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the evidence count is 0, indicating no relevant information was found in the search results or archives.

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“It is also sourcing oil imports from suppliers that do not use the strait of Hormuz.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the evidence count is 0, indicating no relevant information was found in the search results or archives.

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“Experts have warned that if shipping in the vital waterway doesn’t return to normal soon, the world’s fourth-biggest economy will eventually face a crude oil shortage.”

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“That could force businesses and households to make more drastic cuts in petrol and electricity usage reminiscent of those introduced during the oil shocks of the 1970s.”

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“The threat of an energy crunch had been “one of the factors” in allowing Tokyo government staff to wear casual clothes to work, Agence France-Presse said, adding that some employees had been spotted in shorts, T-shirts and short-sleeved blouses since the initiative’s launch this week to coincide with the start of Japan’s heatstroke warning system.”

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“Citing “a severe outlook for electricity supply and demand”, Tokyo’s governor, Yuriko Koike, who as environment minister was behind the Cool Biz campaign two decades ago, told reporters: “We encourage cool attire that prioritises comfort, including polo shirts, T-shirts and sneakers and – depending on job responsibilities – shorts”.”

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“War notwithstanding, Japanese employers have been forced to rethink old rules on workplace attire as a result of the climate crisis.”

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“Last year, the country endured its hottest summer since records began in 1898, according to the meteorological agency.”

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“Now that it is no longer unheard of for temperatures to rise to 40C or above, the agency last week announced a new extreme weather event: kokusho, or “cruelly hot”.”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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Tokyo workers encouraged to wear shorts to cut energy costs and keep cool

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