This was the argument of a couple who took legal action against the Japanese government on this very law in 2015. Numerous studies suggest that as the price of a food decreases, individuals get fatter. One would question whether government demonization of obesity can have anything other than a negative effect on the mind-sets of young people already struggling with their body image. Its not Japan has a fantastic healthcare system with access to all the wonderful medicines that modern science has to offer. Although the tax resulted in an additional $216 million in revenue, it also led to numerous complaints from Danish retailers that their customers were taking their business to other countries, such as Sweden and Germany, to take advantage of their lower prices. Homebrewing anything over 1% potency is illegal in Japan but equipment for home brewing is sold openly and is readily available. In Japan, lawmakers passed whats now known as the metabo law in 2008. Trojan Family Magazine", "Let Them Drink Water! Your membership is the foundation of our sustainability and resilience. The story behind this law is simple. [26] According to the WHO report, "Several countries use fiscal measures to promote availability of and access to certain foods; others use taxes to increase or decrease consumption of food; and some use public funds and subsidies to promote access among poor communities to recreational and sporting facilities. The New York Times reported in 2008 the Metabo Law affects men with waistlines larger than 35.4 inches and women with waistlines larger than 31.5 inches. If the government only measure peoples waistlines after the age of 40, are they ignoring the issue of childhood obesity? Credit. It is policed through an annual mandatory check up of the waist measurements of 40-75 year-olds thats over 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population. The statute being lifted means that Japan can now prosecute for historical murder cases, as is the situation in virtually every other justice system worldwide. . ", "Do Sin Taxes Affect Cigarette and Alcohol Consumption? Taxing foods that provide primarily calories, with little other nutritional value reduces this problem, since calories are readily available from many sources in diet of industrialized nations. What Role Does Religion Play In Japanese Life. There's a few reasons. For example, in the United States, the fact that junk food is cheaper than healthier food can be linked to the obesity epidemic, especially poorer households. The poll found both Republicans and Democrats favor the tax. The Japanese policy, called Metabo law is, in theory, simple stay below a government-mandated waistline or face the consequences. This is a delightfully quirky little law. Before we had to broach the issue with the word obesity, which definitely has a negative image, Dr. Sakamoto said. The proposal got more traction when New York Assemblyman Felix Ortiz proposed taxes on junk food and entertainment contributing to sedentary lifestyles to fund nutrition and exercise programs. Check your email for magic link to sign-in. The Metabo Law was named after metabolic syndrome, a group of conditions, including high blood pressure and excess body fat, that can increase the risk of serious medical ailments: Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions increased blood pressure, a high blood sugar level, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels that occur together, increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Introduced in Japan on 1st April 2008 to combat the rising numbers of people with metabolic syndrome. Put simply, no. Welcome back! The 'metabo' law involved conducting an annual waist measurement check of people aged between 40 and 75, which was administered by employers and local government. The reasoning behind this actually came down to paternity if a woman remarried instantly after divorce, and then announced she was pregnant, there could be legal grey areas as to who the father of the child was. The numbers in this longitudinal study do indicate that the majority of people who were found to be over the recommended measurements, and who went onto participate in a weight loss program were successful in their weight loss. Out of these people, a little more than four million are beyond the limits, so are given written recommendations. Critics of Metabo Law hold this up as an example if the government is so concerned about public health, then why isnt smoking penalized in the same way? Sharing Thoughts, Stories, And Ideas About Japan, Japanjunky 2023. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In 2008 (not 2009 as mentioned in the message), Japanese parliament approved a law saying that it is illegal to be fat in Japan, and this was declared as a war against obesity and also to cut down the government health costs of old age citizens. Or, if youre a family member of someone working for a large company, the company can still be fined on your behalf. Introduced in Japan on 1st April 2008 to combat the rising numbers of people with metabolic syndrome. This is another exaggeration that is often thrown around when discussing Japanese law. The WC cut-offs are 85cm for females and 90cm for males. The population of Japan is expected to fall from 126 million today to about 83 million in 2100 when todays babies will be in their old age. Strangely enough, this is a genuine law in the Japanese Constitution. Japan's largest maker of personal computers, says it's possible to . Kim LaCapria is a former writer for Snopes. This is an actual law in Japan since 1948 - an accidental . The penalties for failure to comply arent particularly harsh for the individual. The same holds for tobacco. It might sound impossible and immoral to non-Japanese residents, but actually, when you take the culture into consideration, its not so surprising that something so unconventional works over there. Bear in mind that Metabo Law was only introduced in 2008, and as such the long-term effects of growing up under this policy remain to be seen. And this is why I left Japan. I dont think that concerns me., Japan, Seeking Trim Waists, Measures Millions, https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/world/asia/13fat.html. [42], "Food tax" redirects here. Environment is so key in determining ones mental and physical state. Go! Equal Employment. If you insist on bringing medication to Japan, I suggest getting yourself a medicine carrying case and continue reading below for guidelines on what medicine to bring. Now if you did this in the United States, there would be benefits, since there are many Americans who weigh more than 100 kilograms, or about 220 pounds, Mr. Ogushi said. Taxing the corporations and local governments rather than the general public . Its an interesting policy idea on how to beat the obesity epidemic. With the new law, Matsushita has to measure the waistlines of not only its employees but also of their families and retirees. What if you were in danger of failing the test. Its often speculated that their diet is very different from a Western diet, and must be the reason for this. Being a little thick around the waist could land you in legal trouble in the country that gave us sumo wrestling. . What is so special about this law is that it holds companies and municipalities, rather than the people, accountable. But only 12.3 percent of these people follow through on this medical advice.. Government-enforced weight and size restrictions may seem like an alarming concept from a Western perspective but in Japanese culture, collective community goals like this one arent unusual. It is my contention that one of the actions that should be undertaken in the UK is the introduction of the Japanese "Metabo law". A 2004 study showed gradual increases in childhood obesity rates in Japan since 1980, so why arent the government doing anything to monitor the waistlines of school children? Ouch. (Jenny Craig anyone?) What about trying to put in place the conditions for people to continue enjoying their lives? One could argue that the introduction of pro-active health-boosting initiatives by companies and local authorities eager to avoid fines is a success in itself. The Japanese even implemented the so-called fat tax or Metabo law, according to which, the waist of an adult woman should not exceed 36 inches, whereas that of a man should not exceed . Free exercise programs and counseling are now readily available to much of the Japanese public following the introduction of Metabo Law and while cynics will say these come to a selfish motivation, at least these services are available to those who might genuinely benefit from them. On the other hand, what about protecting the health of the economy? A CBS News poll from January 2010 reported that a tax on items such as soft drinks and foods considered to be junk food is opposed 60% to 38%. David Mikkelson founded the site now known as snopes.com back in 1994. In case of exceeding the maximum waistline, Social Welfare. To reach its goals of shrinking the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years and 25 percent over the next seven years, the government will impose financial penalties on companies and local governments that fail to meet specific targets. But I think theyre onto something with holding governments and corporations accountable, and giving large groups of people a joint goal that unites them. This is an actual law in Japan since 1948 an accidental flash of the thigh area can carry a prison sentence of up to 29 days. Published with, Youve successfully subscribed to Japanjunky. So there you have it a whistle-stop tour of just a handful of the most unique aspects of Japans constitution. Even though the country doesn't have a large obesity problem, Japan decided to take a proactive approach to the benefits of maintaining a healthy weight. In Japan, employers are required to measure the waistlines of employees between the ages of 40 and 74. Development and validation of the Care Transitions Scale for Patients with Heart Failure: A tool for nurses to assess patients' readiness for hospital discharge. With that said the profits between 2008 a year before Metabo and 2012 show a drastic increase. His waistline was no ones business but his own, he said, though he volunteered that, at 32.7 inches, it fell safely below the limit. If a man measures above 33.5 inches, and a woman above 35.4 inches this is considered above the recommended measurements. If you would like more information, please reach out and I will be happy to provide further resources and reading. Lower-income households in some countries tend to eat more unhealthy food due to their lower price. Since 2008, it has been deemed illegal to be fat in Japan under the "Metabo Law," in which lawmakers have set a maximum waistline of 33.5 inches for men aged over 40 and 35.4 inches for women . All Right Reserved. Employers or local government are required to ensure a minimum of 65% participation, with an overall goal to cut the countrys obesity rates by 25% by year 2015. But on a shopping strip here, Kenzo Nagata, 73, a toy store owner, said he had ignored a letter summoning him to a so-called special checkup. The key thing about chronic disease is that medicine has no cure for it. [33], In October 2011, Denmark introduced a fat tax on butter, milk, cheese, pizza, meat, oil and processed food if the item contains more than 2.3% saturated fat. In no time, the scary-sounding condition was popularly shortened to the funny-sounding metabo, and it has become the nations shorthand for overweight. But private research on thousands of Japanese indicates that the average male waistline falls just below the new government limit. The responsibility for adhering to this law is being put on employers rather than individuals. It is likely to eventually lead to a stroke, heart attack and diabetes. [32] However, this has erroneously been taken to mean that the 'metabo' law makes obesity illegal. New law, Matsushita has to offer government limit mean that the introduction of pro-active health-boosting initiatives by and. 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