Just as a 1,000-km journey begins with a single step, it seems that the arduous process of reducing Japan's greenhouse gas emissions starts with the simple removal of a few neckties.
This, at least, appears to be the thinking behind the government's latest initiative to tackle global warming.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told all his Cabinet ministers and central government bureaucrats to shed their neckties and jackets between June 1 and Sept. 30 (except during official functions) as a means of reducing air conditioner use and thus saving energy.