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Japanese men shave to avoid charges of ‘leg hair harassment’ when wearing shorts in summer heat

‘Sunehara’, a newly coined term meaning ‘leg hair harassment’, has spawned heated debate on Japanese social media.

Published: 6:00pm, 21 Aug 2026Updated: 6:00pm, 21 Aug 2026

Men have been flocking to hair-removal clinics in Japan, not only to stay cool in the scorching summer, but also because many say they want to wear shorts without being accused of sunehara or “leg hair harassment”.

Japanese men shave to avoid charges of ‘leg hair harassment’ when wearing shorts in summer heat

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘Sunehara’, a newly coined term meaning ‘leg hair harassment’, has spawned heated debate on Japanese social media.

‘Sunehara’, a newly coined term meaning ‘leg hair harassment’, has spawned heated debate on Japanese social media.