Tokyo‘s metropolitan government (TMG) has expanded the ‘Tokyo Cool Biz’ campaign, which seeks to promote simple changes that people can make to their everyday lives during periods of extreme heat.
The campaign was launched in April, and encourages people to switch clothing and change their working and living practices during high summer temperatures – for example, business workers are encouraged to consider teleworking, working from home, and early morning shifts to avoid the heat.
Original ‘Cool Biz’ campaign
This year’s campaign builds on the nationwide ‘Cool Biz’ campaign that was launched in 2005, when current Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike was Japan’s environment minister. Under that initiative, office workers were encouraged to drop suits and ties to reduce demand on air conditioning units.
For this year’s campaign, TMG sought input from businesses and Tokyo residents on potential products to countermeasure the increased heat. Some 113 entries were received, with 29,000 members of the public voting on 12 finalists in four categories: shade creation, water and salt supplies, body temperature management, and temperature measurement and monitoring.
“I hope you will make good use of various heat countermeasure goods this summer, both in your daily lives and at work,” Kokie commented in May. “Let’s get over the harsh summer safely and comfortably by taking action through Tokyo Cool Biz.”
Products that were awarded grand prizes as part of the initiative include a smartphone app that identifies shaded areas and routes, a ‘cooling vest’ designed to be worn beneath an air-conditioned jacket, an oral rehydration solution, and a device that changes colour according to the potential health risk from heat and humidity.
Record temperatures
Tokyo has experienced one of its hottest summers on record, with temperatures of at least 35°C on 29 days across July, August and September last year. With 90% of Japanese households and businesses have air conditioning units, TMG has encouraged residents ‘not to hesitate’ to use air-conditioning when daytime temperatures exceed 27.1°C.
“It may sound strange coming from me, but I wonder if 2005 wasn’t a bit too early,” Koike said of the original Cool Biz initiative. “We’ve gradually run out of clothes to take off, and now we’ve even reached the point where we’re down to just shorts.” Read more here.
