Pity the poor Japanese office worker slaving away in the 28-degree heat. This year's Cool Biz program has swung into full gear just as summer temperatures and humidity hit their peaks. The voluntary program to have office workers dress lightly to accommodate the government standard 28 degrees sounds like good policy. However, when the temperature soars outside, many people inside swelter.

Introduced in 2005, Cool Biz was supposed to change the traditionally formal suit-and-tie Japan into a much more casual feeling. That relaxed look was appealing and the savings in air conditioning costs was considerable. However, standardized regulations are just that — standardized, and so cannot fit every workplace. In large Japanese cities, office spaces vary tremendously in layout, airflow and work-space comfort, so that 28 degrees on the thermostat is not always 28 degrees on the skin.

As global warming takes hold, the typical Japanese office worker seems doomed to suffer with too-warm spaces — and at longer work hours than most countries in the world! A little flexibility might improve morale, productivity and the office culture. Lowering the thermostat to even 26 degrees could offset the heat from office machinery and allow one a bit more comfort during physical motion. Even the United Nations, whose New York summers are cooler and drier than Tokyo's, set its energy-saving standard at 25 degrees!

Unquestionably, the Ministry of the Environment has handled the issue in a positive, unforced manner. Energy consumption needs to be lowered. The economy needs to be protected. However, everyplace from trains to fast-food restaurants can freeze people in a few minutes, while Cool Biz office workers try to follow the rules. The wastefulness of air conditioning at many places has gone unregulated while office workers have perhaps been over-regulated.

The government bureaucracy is to be admired for trying to take on the issue of internal office conditions, making things more comfortable. Yet, a little common sense and flexibility might be worth any number of bureaucratic suggestions. Steps to restrict energy consumption should be taken on a much larger scale and with more serious intent than the Cool Biz policy. Making office workers feel the heat is no substitute for a substantial long-range energy use policy.