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Tokyo lets government staff wear shorts as heat and Middle East war fuel energy concerns

Tokyo's metropolitan government is allowing employees to wear shorts to work as part of an expanded Cool Biz energy-saving programme, citing rising temperatures and potential energy supply pressures linked to the Middle East conflict. Governor Yuriko Koike, who originally championed the initiative as environment minister, is supporting the relaxed dress code including polo shirts, T-shirts and sneakers. Japan recorded its hottest year since records began in 1898, with temperatures exceeding 40°C now formally classified as "cruelly hot" days.