On August 14, 2026, Taiwan media UDN (United Daily News) reported that questions and discussions are brewing on the Taiwanese internet regarding the reason why many Japanese men wear long pants even in scorching 35-degree heat.

According to the article, a certain Taiwanese netizen posted on the social media platform Threads that, while shorts are standard in Taiwan in summer, they questioned why they only saw men in long pants even in scorching 35-degree heat when visiting Japan.

This user speculated that because Japanese people are raised to be taught "not to stand out too much" and "not to inconvenience others," they might have values that prioritize clothing appropriate for the occasion (TPO: Time, Place, Occasion) over personal comfort. They also inferred reasons such as exposing legs in public being considered childish, and a norm where long pants are seen as a sign of adult composure and politeness.

In response to this post, while sympathetic comments such as "exposing leg hair in public is considered disrespectful" and "my Japanese husband tidies his hair and wears long sleeves and long pants just to take out the trash" were received on the internet, comments pointing out regional differences, such as "unlike Tokyo, you see many men in shorts in Osaka," were also received.

In connection with the online discussion, the article introduced the movement towards lighter clothing in Japan. It reported that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government allowed its employees to wear shorts at work as part of "TOKYO Cool Biz."

On the other hand, it reported that discomfort towards the exposure of men's body hair at work, and the "double standard in dress codes" that exists between men and women, with regulations such as requiring women to still wear stockings, are also becoming a subject of discussion. (Edited/Translated by Kawashiri)