Photo/Illutration Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on May 28. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Walking in Tokyo’s Kasumigaseki district yesterday, I noticed that only 20 percent or so of men I came across were wearing a necktie in this seat of Japanese bureaucracy. The remaining 80 percent were in tie-less casual attire.

At the Environment Ministry, the standard bearer of the so-called Cool Biz summertime office fashion, I was surprised to see no posters or banners reminding people to dress down.

The Cool Biz campaign began 16 years ago. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi showed up at work in an Okinawan “kariyushi” dress shirt, setting off a casual dress trend that soon spread in the private sector.

Until last year, the government designated the starting and ending dates of the Cool Biz season every summer.

But this practice has been discontinued. The reason, I was told, is that aside from the growing frequency of unseasonably warm and cool days in recent years, the public has become accustomed to dressing freely.

At the tail end of the 1970s, the government promoted an energy-saving dress code called “Sho-ene Rukku” (literally, energy-saving look).

The concept was born out of the energy crises of that decade. Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira modeled a short-sleeve jacket worn with shirt and tie, but the campaign to popularize it flopped.

Compared with that, I suppose the Cool Biz could be considered a success.

I recently noticed a change in Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s style of dress.

After sporting his usual jacket-without-tie look since the start of this month, he suddenly showed up with a tie on May 11 and has done so ever since on weekdays.

The frequently worn colors of his tie have been yellow, blue and red.

Are the ties supposed to indicate the seriousness of his commitment to fighting the novel coronavirus pandemic?

According to the book “Nihon Nekutai-shi” (History of neckties in Japan), this accessory was introduced to Japan toward the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867).

The tie spread among the masses after World War II and eventually became the white-collar workers’ symbol of responsibility and corporate loyalty.

“I am personally taking the lead to get this done,” Suga declared May 28 as the government extended the COVID-19 state of emergency for nine prefectures.

The tie he wore on that occasion was pale blue. The blue is said to convey a sense of safety. When will our daily lives feel safe again?

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 29

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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