Ditching ties doesn't suit salarymen
A 'cool biz' campaign to get salarymen out of their suits has some of Japan's corporate warriors decidedly hot under the collar.
With the end of the rainy season just a couple of weeks away - and sky-high humidity and temperatures about to descend on the country - the government is calling on businessmen to leave their suits and ties at home.
But it is proving difficult for some people to hang up their stiff uniforms.
'If I went into a meeting with a client and I wasn't wearing a suit and tie, it would be rude and disrespectful,' said Hideki Itou, head of the investor relations department at Takashimaya department store in Tokyo. 'I'm wearing my tie and jacket here in the office right now, and so is everyone else around me,' he said. 'It could damage the firm if I was seen not dressed like this.'
Since early this month, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has been exhorting his ministers, bureaucrats and the corporate world to slip into something more comfortable to reduce electricity use from air conditioners.
This will reduce global warming, while the rush for new casual attire is predicted to give the clothing and retail industries a 100 billion yen ($7 billion) shot in the arm.
But while younger generations are finding it easier to loosen that top button, it is more difficult for the die-hards who built Japan Inc.
