Japanese Campaign Against Obesity

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Obesity is a health disorder characterized by increased body mass. In Japan, people started suffering from the disorder after the end of the Second World War when they started getting established in wealth (Aihara, 1985 p. 30). As people grew richer, good diet food vanished. It was also the period when transport locomotives got well established and therefore people did less of walking and involvement in physical activities, consequently leading to overweight among the people of Japan due to lack of exercise (JACC, 1999). But in the recent years, the government has carried a massive campaign against the phenomenon. A thorough struggle against the menace was launched in 2005.

Since the official launch of the campaign against obesity, it’s now noted that only 23 million people are still suffering from the disorder even though the Japanese Government is aiming at reducing the number to zero. The ministry of health formulated a way of curbing diseases that are more or less brought by life-style. One of the strategies is strongly promoting health checkups and provision of good health guidelines though health workers such as nurses and diet specialists (Aihara, 1985 p. 41). The most targeted group was that of persons above the age of 45.The Japanese government has a vision of having reduced overweight by a margin of 75% by the year 2015(JACC, p. 43).

The government has also seen to it that healthy food that has low fat content and sugar is in abundance. The people of Japan from time immemorial had been eating food that is rich in proteins but in the recent past the people have increasingly shifted to eating food with high content of calories especially animal fats (Kanazawa et al 2002, p. 59).

The fight against obesity started massively when the government under the Ministry of Health began informing the general public of a medical condition that quite a good number of the Japanese people had not heard of and did not know anything about (p. 60). It was referred to as ‘metabolic syndrome’ [and hence the term Metabo] it was said to be a conglomeration of elements that could easily lead to diabetes and other vascular disorders such as high blood pressure (Aihara, p. 45).

Japan is one of the few countries in the world today, consequently with the smallest number of people suffering from obesity (Kanazawa et al, p. 70). This is because of the tremendous efforts and an ambitious struggle by the government to curb the menace. The first thing Japan did is to find an alternative name for the disorder because the people considered the term ‘obesity’ a derogative and therefore, they didn’t come forward whenever people with the disorder were called upon to be treated. The word ‘Metabo’ which is considered more polite was therefore used. The government took upon it self to measure people’s waistlines to determine those affected by the disorder (p. 61). It declared a strict limit of 33.5 inches for men’s’ waistlines and 35.4 inches for women’s’. Those with more than this required length of waistlines were considered overweight (p. 51).

A law was enacted for all the companies and local governments to measure the waistlines of their workers and the people of between the age of 40 and 74 and this was to be done every year. Those within this age bracket were 56 million people and around 44 percent of the total population of the people of Japan (p. 60).

The waistlines measurement factor was assumed to be the easiest way of testing for Metabo and had been recommended for the Japanese government by the International Diabetes Federation. (p. 64). It is also an easier way of establishing other health hazards associated with overweight. Those found to have waistlines exceeding the stipulated waistline measurement for both men and women were given guidelines on how they were supposed to take there diet. If the affected people didn’t lose weight three months after practicing the recommended dieting guidelines, they were subjected to six more months of re-education on weight reduction strategies (p. 67).

The Japanese government also formulated a four year plan of helping its people shed the unnecessary weight at least by 10% and by 25% after 7 years (p. 40). The government also fixed financial penalties on those companies and local governments that were unable to attain the government’s stipulated targets. This was a move by the government’s Ministry of Health to control health issues like diabetes and stroke. The Ministry argued that the campaign against Metabo would lead to a reduction on the government’s expenditure on health related matters. There was a debate in parliament that required those above the age of 75 and suffering from weight related complications to be paying more for treatment. It was a move to ensure that people check there weight frequently and more so the older people, because in most cases they are the ones that are affected most by the menace and are also the majority of those covered by the health insurance policy.

The Japanese government after noting that almost 20 million middle aged persons of its population was suffering from Visceral fat had to undertake strong measures to control the situation. The ministries of welfare, of labor and that of heath made the health hazard a subject of debate in the parliament and reforms on health care established.

During public crusades and seminars organized by the government, people were thoroughly educated on health dangers associated with obesity. For instance, they were told that visceral fat can lead to diabetes, hyperlipemia and of course high blood pressure. The matter is even worse when the three are combined. This is because the chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke are comparatively high.

The ministry of health formulated a way of curbing diseases that are more or less brought by life-style. One of the strategies is strongly promoting health checkups and provision of good health guidelines though health workers such as nurses and diet specialists. The most targeted group was that of persons above the age of 45.The Japanese government has a vision of having reduced overweight by a margin of 75% by the year 2015 ( p. 60).

In this concern, the government took upon itself to encourage its citizens to eat healthier food with less fat. This is in a bid to meet her objective stated in her health program dubbed ‘Health Japan 21 programme’, a strategy aiming at drastically reducing health problems to lowest possible levels by the end of the decade, that is 2010 (Aihara, p. 72).

The consumption of readily manufactured food has totally been discouraged by the government and strict measures have been put in place to see to it that the importation of canned or already processed food is minimized and especially food from animal products. Supplements are given and they include biscuits prepared from sweet potatoes and plantains that are prepared traditionally.

The government is advising and encouraging people to feed more on fish and meat from other animals that have less fat content. It should be noted that today, Japan is one of the major producers and consumers of fish in the world. Through the set strategies and cooperation from the people, Japan has been able to considerably control the weight of her citizens. Poverty has also been squally dealt with by the Japanese government bearing in mind that that the socio-economic status can to a greater extent determine the feeding habit of an individual or a family. People will always feed on what their economic muscles can enable them purchase, low income, low quality food and vise versa. The Japanese Government has therefore struggled to ensure that her people are well endowed financially so that their feeding habits can improve and therefore minimizing health related issues such as obesity (p. 75).

In conclusion, everything is possible given a try. It all depends on the cooperation and good will between the government and its subjects, the people. It is when something is noted as a problem that a solution can be sought. It was not until the Japanese Government identified obesity as a health crisis that it started looking for possible remedies for it. Japan has greatly achieved it and therefore, anybody and any government can control obesity otherwise known as Metabo.

Work Cited

Body mass index and mortality from cardiovascular diseases among Japanese men and women, the JACC study, 1999.

Aihara, Herman. Basic Macrobiotics. Tokyo & New York: Japan Publications, Inc., 1985. p.3-97.

Kanazawa et al. Criteria and classification of obesity in Japan and Asia-Oceania. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2002. Suppl 8, p 21-98.

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Japanese Campaign Against Obesity

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