While the June 28 article "Daylight saving: Is it finally time to convert?" does a fair job of presenting the daylight saving time issue, it presupposes that switching the clocks will save energy.
The article also claims that DST has been in use in the United States for a long time. The fact is that individual states in America adopted DST at different times, most recently Indiana in 2006. Research done before and after Indiana's adoption of DST found that the switch to DST actually caused an additional $8.6 million worth of electricity to be used across the state. This was due to more air-conditioning use in the evenings. (See http:// www.physorg.com/news187946326.html)
Perhaps DST had its place during the Industrial Revolution when most people worked at the same time of day, but in modern society when stores are open late and offices are open around the clock, the time switch makes no sense if the goal is to save energy.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.