No one in Japan can avoid the sweat and smells of hot humid summer, regardless of sex, age or ethnicity. But a recent survey on body odor reeked of bad news for men.
Chuo Bussan International Co., a deodorant maker in Tokyo, polled some 700 women in their 20s and 30s about the waft from males in December 2007.
Of the respondents, 89 percent said they have caught a whiff of BO from guys on commuter trains, while 85 percent said they have sat next to a stinky man in a meeting. Nearly all — 97 percent — said the smell of sweat doesn't enhance a masculine image.