To protect against the cold and save money amid rising energy prices, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike recommended that Japanese citizens wear sweaters around their necks, AFP and Agerpres reported.

Yuriko Koike, herself wearing leggings under her coat, urged residents of the Japanese capital to resort to thick clothes in winter, while reducing their electricity bills.

“Warming the collar zone has a thermal effect. I myself wear a sweater around my neck and a scarf also keeps me warm. This will allow you to save electricity,” Koike told reporters on Friday.

“It’s one way to get through the energetically difficult winter period together,” she said, adding that French President Emmanuel Macron is a fan of the sweater.

• Read also: VIDEO Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez suggests giving up the tie to save energy

Like many other countries, Japan, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, has faced shrinking energy supplies since the start of the war in Ukraine.

In August, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for the revival of the country’s nuclear industry to offset rising prices for imported energy.

But such a measure is likely to be difficult to implement, given the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster that shut down many reactors for safety reasons.

Eleven years later, 10 of Japan’s 33 nuclear reactors are back in operation. They do not operate year-round, and the country remains largely dependent on fossil fuel imports.

___

(Photo credit: 199920212 © Imtmphoto | Dreamstime.com)