Japanese government cracking down on fatties -report

[The Lizard]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/world/asia/13fat.html?no_interstitial

Japan, Seeking Trim Waists, Measures Millions


By NORIMITSU ONISHI
Published: June 13, 2008

AMAGASAKI, Japan — Japan, a country not known for its overweight people, has undertaken one of the most ambitious campaigns ever by a nation to slim down its citizenry.

A poster at a public health clinic in Japan reads, "Goodbye, metabo," a word associated with being overweight. The Japanese government is mounting an ambitious weight-loss campaign.

Summoned by the city of Amagasaki one recent morning, Minoru Nogiri, 45, a flower shop owner, found himself lining up to have his waistline measured. With no visible paunch, he seemed to run little risk of being classified as overweight, or metabo, the preferred word in Japan these days.

But because the new state-prescribed limit for male waistlines is a strict 33.5 inches, he had anxiously measured himself at home a couple of days earlier. “I’m on the border,” he said.

Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.

Those exceeding government limits — 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women, which are identical to thresholds established in 2005 for Japan by the International Diabetes Federation as an easy guideline for identifying health risks — and having a weight-related ailment will be given dieting guidance if after three months they do not lose weight. If necessary, those people will be steered toward further re-education after six more months.

And if you still don't loose weight after all that....it's seppuku time.

 

[jokersminion]

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[AndThePickles]

Damn, that's a slim waistline.

 

[Eddie Brock]

Fatness being illegal? The Japanese always did have interesting ideas...

 

[jaguarr]

I fully support this. Go, Japan!

It's interesting, culturally speaking, though, because Japan is a culture that really looks down on obesity. It's not a socially acceptable sort of thing and people who are really, really overweight are viewed as having something wrong with them that should be fixed. Compare that with the U.S. where it's almost the opposite; people who are in good shape, eat right and exercise regularly are viewed as having something wrong with them because it goes against what is now our cultural norm of eating junk food, being lazy and taking the path of least resistance in nearly every aspects of our lives. We've become a country of McDonald's eating sloths.

jag

 

[DorkyFresh]

as long as overweight people aren't being arrested or held in against their own will, i don't see anything wrong with this. imo, encouraging and helping people eat healthier and/or work out more often can only be a good thing. as much as Japan is worried about their overweight problem, this is something that America would probably benefit more from.

 

[IRON_Lad]

What is this from?

 

[LazloSpeeker]

What about the sumo wrestlers?

 

[shapeshifter]

Fatness being illegal? The Japanese always did have interesting ideas...

this is what you get when you have a gigantic government.
they are two steps away from personality control microchips in the brain.

 

[jokersminion]

What is this from?

haha
Upright Citizens Brigade

 

[jaguarr]

What is this from?

I think that's from the Upright Citizens Brigade.

jag

 

[DorkyFresh]

What about the sumo wrestlers?

lol!!!!! good question.

 

[kainedamo]

There isn't really much excuse for becoming obese, I think.

Unless you have a genuine medical condition where you pile on the pounds despite your best efforts.

But seriously. 9 times out of 10 people only have themselves to blame. You're fat because you eat too much and sit around all day.

People say "gyms are expensive". You don't have to go to a gym. I noticed my shape was getting a bit out of hand, I wasn't happy with what was happening with my body, so I decided enough was enough and got Wii Fit and an exercise bike. ****. It's not rocket science.

I'll tell you who I do feel bad for though. Fat kids. They're just kids, y'know? They're fat because either their parents just feed them all sorts of **** OR their parents don't know how to say no and give in to every demand of the kid.

 

[Darthphere]

"Obesity is a disease."

-"Really, what's the disease?"

"Everything tastes good."

-"Not salads."

 

[shapeshifter]

it all sounds a little too fascist to me. while I am no supporter of obesity there are better ways of handling it.

 

[Manic]

"Obesity is a disease."

-"Really, what's the disease?"

"Everything tastes good."

-"Not salads."

This is a common misconception. Fat people like salads. It just doesn't help that restaurants give you more food after the salad. Ordered a steak? You're gonna get a salad first, then a steak, then the waiter will ask if you want dessert when a little standing display with a picture of a cheesecake has been sitting on the edge of your table all night.

 

[jaguarr]

What about the sumo wrestlers?

Sumo is a culture unto itself in Japan. Sumo wrestlers are regarded as "demi-gods". It's steeped in tradition and idol worship. Sumos are like rock stars and sports heroes all rolled into one in Japan. Kind of funny, since otherwise obesity is strongly frowned upon.

jag

 

[Manic]

Sumo is a culture unto itself in Japan. Sumo wrestlers are regarded as "demi-gods". It's steeped in tradition and idol worship. Sumos are like rock stars and sports heroes all rolled into one in Japan. Kind of funny, since otherwise obesity is strongly frowned upon.

jag

To continue your metaphor, it's like how our culture looks down on alcoholics, cocaine addicts, and people who sleep with dirty prostitutes all the time, but we let our rock stars get away with it. Hell, we expect it from our rock stars.

 

[jaguarr]

To continue your metaphor, it's like how our culture looks down on alcoholics, cocaine addicts, and people who sleep with dirty prostitutes all the time, but we let our rock stars get away with it. Hell, we expect it from our rock stars.

Yeah, but when they get TOO carried away with it we start to really look down on them. See Amy Winehouse as an example.

jag

 

[amazingfantasy15]

There isn't really much excuse for becoming obese, I think.

Unless you have a genuine medical condition where you pile on the pounds despite your best efforts.

But seriously. 9 times out of 10 people only have themselves to blame. You're fat because you eat too much and sit around all day.

People say "gyms are expensive". You don't have to go to a gym. I noticed my shape was getting a bit out of hand, I wasn't happy with what was happening with my body, so I decided enough was enough and got Wii Fit and an exercise bike. ****. It's not rocket science.

I'll tell you who I do feel bad for though. Fat kids. They're just kids, y'know? They're fat because either their parents just feed them all sorts of **** OR their parents don't know how to say no and give in to every demand of the kid.

Agree with everything except about fat kids. Sure they're just kids, but still they're just as lazy as the fat adults. Get outside and play, ride your bike, do something other than plopping yourself in front of the TV as soon as you get home with a bag of dorritos and a can of coke. I'm so glad my parents limited my TV watching and encouraged me to play sports or get outside. I was never good at sports, but still kept me active and taught me early on to stay active.

 

[Manic]

Well, you've got to do your coke in moderation. That way, you die over a decade after your career is already over, like Rick James. If you really pace yourself, you'll live a lot longer, like the Rolling Stones or the two surviving Beatles.

 

[DorkyFresh]

some fat kids are naturally fat regardless of what they eat or how much they play. however, most fat kids grow out of their baby fat during their teens...as long as they're not over indulging or being a lazy ass.

 

[Manic]

I played after school sports, rode my bike everywhere, swam like a ****ing fish, and tried my damnedest during PE/gym class in school. I was always a fat kid. I was also surprisingly difficult to hit in dodge ball.

So don't blame fat kids for being fat. That stuff doesn't go away for some of us.

Of course, I completely blame myself for ballooning up during adulthood. But that's a different story.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

I played after school sports, rode my bike everywhere, swam like a ****ing fish, and tried my damnedest during PE/gym class in school. I was always a fat kid. I was also surprisingly difficult to hit in dodge ball.

So don't blame fat kids for being fat. That stuff doesn't go away for some of us.

Of course, I completely blame myself for ballooning up during adulthood. But that's a different story.

Well, there are always exceptions to the rule, but for every "naturally" fat kid, there's probably two or three that "worked" for that fat body.

 

[tzarinna]

I had a step aerobics class instructor who was pretty chunky and she taught a number of classes a week, she was no slouch.