Japan has some of the world’s lowest rates of obesity — less than 5 percent, compared to nearly 35 percent for the United States, but it's cracking down on the obese and requiring annual checkups to measure waistlines.

Maximum waistlines for 40 and older: 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) for men and 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for women

--------------------
TOKYO, Japan — In Japan, being thin isn’t just the price you pay for fashion or social acceptance. It’s the law.

So before the fat police could throw her in pudgy purgatory, Miki Yabe, 39, a manager at a major transportation corporation, went on a crash diet last month. In the week before her company’s annual health check-up, Yabe ate 21 consecutive meals of vegetable soup and hit the gym for 30 minutes a day of running and swimming.

“It’s scary,” said Yabe, who is 5 feet 3 inches and 133 pounds. “I gained 2 kilos [4.5 pounds] this year.”

In Japan, already the slimmest industrialized nation, people are fighting fat to ward off dreaded metabolic syndrome and comply with a government-imposed waistline standard. Metabolic syndrome, known here simply as “metabo,” is a combination of health risks, including stomach flab, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, that can lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Concerned about rising rates of both in a graying nation, Japanese lawmakers last year set a maximum waistline size for anyone age 40 and older: 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) for men and 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for women.

[snip]

Under Japan’s health care coverage, companies administer check-ups to employees once a year. Those who fail to meet the waistline requirement must undergo counseling. If companies do not reduce the number of overweight employees by 10 percent by 2012 and 25 percent by 2015, they could be required to pay more money into a health care program for the elderly. An estimated 56 million Japanese will have their waists measured this year.

Though Japan has some of the world’s lowest rates of obesity — less than 5 percent, compared to nearly 35 percent for the United States — people here on average have gotten heavier in the past three decades, according to government statistics. More worrisome, in a nation that is aging faster than any other because of long life spans and low birth rates, the number of people with diabetes has risen from 6.9 million in 1997 to 8.9 million last year.

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/japa ... ng-the-law

its good that the gov is doing something about it, especially kids at an early age. who doesn't want to be healthy
in hong kong kids are in special programs at schools to do more exercise etc. i think more education on what to eat is more important than these programs.

Yes, nothing like the a government taking control of health care.

Screw that. In the case of body weight, the government has no business telling anyone what to do or how to behave. If anything this encourages bulimia and anorexia. And a 33" waist is not fat by a long shot. Especially if you are 39 years old like the guy in this piece.

If a government wants to control the diet of people, they should better regulate food and drugs. The amount of crap that companies are legally allowed to toss into food is disgusting. In the U.S. trans fats have come under fire which is good. That crap is deadly. Tasty but deadly. The should do something about High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) here in the U.S. Like stop subsidizing farmers to over produce corn so this stuff is cheaper than sugar.

Telling people to control themselves but let companies gain profits by producing crap is sick. Tell Kraft Foods and others to make healthier junk food instead.

If those waistline numbers seem unreasonable, keep in mind that this is Japan. The people, especially the older population, are a lot smaller.

It's not just a health issue there- almost a safety or livability issue. Many buildings in the cities are constructed with extremely narrow spaces and you often have multiple people in these areas. If enough of the population becomes significantly overweight, I think this would make many such areas effectively unusable, or at least a fire hazard.

Tell me about it, one of the shops in Akiba has a lift that fits 6 people but max weight is 300kg. EH

They should never have let McDonalds in, they're always packed when i've been in Japan. Which fucking amazes me as their own food is soooo delicious.
When i first went over in 2003, i was there for about 7 weeks travelling about. I was stuffing my face left, right and centre(Japanese food only) and i lost over a stone(i was a tad overwieght on arrival ) without even trying.

Microman is bang on. The amount of crap chemicals and drugs the governments allow these awful food companies, to put in their products are disgusting.

We had a Budwieser ad on in the UK a few years back. It shows spring water, hops and barley all being added to this near pure beverage. But they did'nt show all the other crap that goes into their beer. Bud's atempt to make out that their product is similar to Cezch, German or Belgian beers was laughable.

I heard their McDonalds are not like U.S. McD's b/c they do not allow our poisoned frankenmeat into their nation. (there are countless numbers of different cows in each patty...) I also heard that even though they have better meat the switch is causing other types of problems like skin problems... You can tell from my profile I am a conspiracy dude, I think it is amusing that people think the swine flu is a bioweapon, and it may very well be... but their is positively a BIOWEAPON on every corner illuminated by Golden Arches...

I admire Japan. They can trace their history for 10,000 years. The U.S can trace her's for 200. I think the jury is in on one and still out on the other....

Frankenmeat is not the main problem. That’s what personally drives me nuts about the whole genetically modified food debate; it's not as much of a pervasive threat to health as the tons of other junk they put into even good food as a matter of course. It’s just that the idea of genetically modified foods sounds dramatic. It’s the preservatives, chemicals and other crap that really screws you over.

So I'm .5 over the limit (34) on my waistline and I'm 41. If I go to Japan will the fat fuck police arrest me? Or will they think "Oh he's a fat fuck middle aged American!" Maybe I need to go on a Japanese diet but my brain his trained on cereal, pizza, ice cream, and red meat (preferably in the cheese steak format).

They'll have to pry my hoagie from my cold, dead hands.

Poor sumo wrestlers.

With a little lipo they'll be fine.

Don't worry about the police Lixx.
They couldn't catch a cold.
(Unless it was riding a bicycle at night with no lights on.)






"GYAHHH!!!!11!!"

The first step in making Sumo Cheese.

Yuck!

You bet that the Sumo wrestlers will be exempt!!

This is going to do wonders for the anorexic women in Japan. They are already crazy obsessed with being "fat". Anything over an American size 0 is "fat", its insane.

Also, I am glad everyone is an expert on Japan. My 6 foot japanese ex boyfriend would like a word with you about how ALL japanese are small? Yes the elderly are small, I agree with what was said about that. During world war II the food supply was extremely limited and it did not meet nutritional needs.

Now Japanese are eating lots of meat and American food and are getting taller and fatter.

Actually I don't think this is trying to lower the number of overweight, i think they are trying to raise tax revenue. How can we get more money? Lets tax the fat!!

I don't understand this.
Why are women allowed to be fatter than men?
Of course their hips are bigger, but their waists?

Because fat bottom girls make the rockin' world go 'round.

And fat-assed dudes slow it down (I can say that since I am one)!

Um ... guyz?

\OO/ __ waist
( V ) -- hip

maybe for westerners it might turn out to have more anorexia who are prone to extremes either too fat or too skinny.
asian bodies tend to be less prone to fat comparitively to western genes/bodies. its not only genes but their diet too.
however i am not saying kids are not getting fat in hong kong. its even been on the news... trying to get the fat kids to do regular excercise. most probably due to US junk food here...the diets are really changing for the kids.
a little reminder from the gov is good i think.
unfortunately the food market has the freedom to do business so its hard to regulate.
the focus should be on education for healthier alternatives.

i recently put on 5 kgs during this short winter . might not be much but for me as it all goes to my face hahaha and its a good motivator to watch what i eat now. the chinese also are very upfront to others if they lose or put on weight, something which the west find too in your face (that's what my ex-boss told me anyway - he is an american swede)

<== Hasn't been legal in Japan since I was 12 years old.

I wonder what they're basing the waistlines on too? I mean, what if the person is over those inches but because of muscle? Still healthy, very much so, just not "thin"? Things like the BMI or any sort of regulatory rulers, like this law, are plain inaccurate and nuts.

I truly think the FDA here in the US (the root country of very unhealthy food) needs someone who can be objective in charge of it. Unfortunately as with most government agencies the people in charge of policing the food industry are usually people directly connected with said industry. Who will police themselves in the name of the almighty profit?

Secondly organic standards need to be maintained. When the food industry got word people were sick of their unhealthy fat food and going organic they had the FDA lower organic standards so they could cash in. Really shady.