As Japan is facing severe heat in major cities, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is pushing company employees to wear casual outfits like t-shirts and shorts. According to BBC, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike introduced ‘Tokyo Cool Biz’ in April, hoping to expand on her signature cool down initiative which has now become a widely recognised annual summer tradition.

The policy is getting mixed reviews where some are appreciating it and others are against it saying that it is unfair for women since they are still expected to wear tights when showing a part of their legs. 

BBC reported that few women describe the experience of ‘leg hair harassment’, referring to the discomfort of being forced to see their colleague’s leg hair.

A survey by Gorilla Clinic in June found 53.5 percent opposed wearing shorts to work in the summer while 46.5 percent were in favour of the new recommendation.

Experts from the Japan Academic Network for Disaster Reduction said that heat acclimatisation is needed as it takes several weeks for the body to adapt to high temperatures and said to start preparing for hot weather and taking measures to prevent heatstroke during the country’s rainy season, before the full summer heat arrives.