[Source: Reuters]

When Tokyo Metropolitan Government worker Toru Suda showed up for work in a polo shirt, shorts and sneakers on a sweltering July morning, he was not ​making a statement.

As Japan braces for another scorching summer, the Tokyo government is ‌encouraging its staff to ditch jackets and ties in favour of shorts, T-shirts and sneakers under the “Tokyo Cool Biz” campaign, aimed at helping staff cope with increasingly severe summer heat and reduce energy costs.

“At first it ​felt a little strange,” said Suda, the 34-year-old public servant in his light ​blue polo shirt and knee-length navy shorts.

But the sense of awkwardness gradually faded ⁠as more colleagues around him started dressing casually, he said at his office in central ​Tokyo on Tuesday, when temperatures in the capital climbed to around 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) ​with average humidity of 72%.

Japan is bracing for another hot summer after enduring the hottest summer on record last year, when average nationwide temperatures were 2.36 degrees C above average summer, and heatstroke sent more than ​100,000 people to hospital.

On Wednesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of Environment jointly ​issued heatstroke alerts for the capital, the first this summer, urging people to limit outdoor activities and use ‌air ⁠conditioning.

Tokyo’s “Cool Biz” campaign, which builds on a nationwide initiative first launched in 2005, marks one of the boldest endorsements yet of casual office attire in a country where dark suits and white shirts have long been the norm for office workers, even during the hottest months.

While some ​customer-facing businesses still expect ​formal dress, a growing ⁠number of employers are giving employees greater discretion for dressing down, particularly when they are not meeting clients.

Retailers such as Aeon (8267.T), have responded ​by expanding business-casual lines, while apparel makers including Fast Retailing (9983.T), and Aoki (8214.T), ​are promoting ⁠lightweight, stretchable and quick-drying clothing aimed at office workers seeking to balance comfort with a professional look.

For Metropolitan Government workers, the shift is practical rather than symbolic.

“Honestly, I’ve gotten used to this ⁠and it’s ​hard to go back,” said Noboru Watanabe, who leads ​Tokyo’s team of climate change countermeasures.

“That said, formal occasions still require formal attire, so I adjust my clothing according to ​the task and the situation.”