Japanese companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of
all employees and family members over the age of 40.
According to this new health-care initiative - which started this week - men
whose girth exceeds 33.5 inches and women whose waistlines exceed 35.5 inches
are considered overweight.
The new guidelines affect nearly 56 million people, or roughly 44% of Japan’s
total population. They’re based on studies done by the International Diabetes
Foundation in 2005, which looked at size and weight thresholds and used them to
identify health risks.
Individuals who fail to meet these standards won’t be penalized or have to
pay up personally. But their employers will - in the form of penalty payments
and higher health-care premiums for every additional inch - thanks to this new
waistline law that’s aimed at slimming down this island superpower.
As reported on CNN, NEC Corp.
alone faces $19 million in such penalties. Other companies find themselves in a
similar spot and could potentially owe hundreds of millions of dollars in
punitive health-care fines.
Naturally, the law is controversial, with many believing that it’s at the
very least unnecessary - and perhaps even represents an intrusion on a person’s
individual liberties. However, others think it’s a very timely initiative, as
well as one that’s badly needed.
Either way, the Ministry of Health aims to achieve its goal of reducing the
Japanese overweight population by 10% in the next four years and an enviable 25%
during the next seven years. It also intends to dramatically reduce national
health-care costs at the same time.
The reason?
"Big" people have never populated the nation - but the people are getting
bigger.
Since World War II, the average Japanese citizen has gained between three and
six inches in height, 20 pounds in weight and, evidently, a bit too much around
the waist. While the root causes are subject to debate, much of it comes down to
more advanced medicine, changes in lifestyle and, to be perfectly blunt, and the
introduction of Western foods including - you guessed it - fast food.
For years in Japan’s company cafeterias - long the domain of harried salary
men eating quickly in order to get back their desks - a typical Japanese meal
consisted of fish, pickles, some rice, and perhaps green tea, a accounts for
between 600 and 800 calories. But Western alternatives - a McDonald’s Corp. (MCD)
hamburger meal, for example - can tip the scale at nearly 1,400 calories.
