were allowed, while jeans and sandals were also acceptable under certain circumstances. June 1 marked the start of the Ministry of the Environment's Super Cool Biz campaign, with "full-page newspaper ads and photos of ministry workers smiling rather self-consciously at their desks wearing polo shirts and colorful Okinawa kariyushi shirts." The campaign was repeated in 2012. Cool Biz outside Japan The South Korean Ministry of Environment and the British Trades Union Congress have promoted their own Cool Biz campaigns since summer 2006. The concept also inspired the United Nations to launch the "Cool UN" initiative in 2008. See also Cool Japan References Tools of Change : Cool Biz, Japan External links Result of the Cool Biz Campaign (2006) , Ministry of the Environment Result of the Cool Biz Campaign (2005) , Ministry of the Environment Wall Street Journal: Japan Sweats It Out as It Wages War on Air Conditioning, Sept. 18, 2007 NPR Morning Edition: Japan Trades In Suits, Cuts Carbon Emission, Oct. 2, 2007 Politics of Japan Energy conservation in Japan 2005 introductions 2005 establishments in Japan