16th October, 2008

CORAL VASS

Japan

The weight loss commercials on Japanese TV are a must see. Where, on American or Australian TV, a 20 kilogram loss is applauded, here in Japan people are delighted with a two or three kilogram weight loss. For a nation whose main diet consists of rice, miso soup and sushi, and for a people (young and old) who ride bicycles or walk everywhere, health and weight issues have never been a realistic concern.

PICTURE: Ariel da Silva Parreira (www.sxc.hu) "Even the Japanese Government continues to promote a slimmer and fitter nation, reinforcing the notion that Japan needs to be weight conscious, by introducing a new weight control system in the workplace."

However, Japan is a nation consumed with trends and body image. So much so, the recent explosion in popularity of “The Morning Banana Diet” in Japan has stores struggling to keep bananas on the shelf. On 7th October this year, the Japan Times reported, “When Tokyo Broadcasting System's TV show Dream Press-sha explained on Sept. 19 how former opera singer Kumiko Mori - who weighs in at more than 100kg - lost 7 kg through the banana diet, there has been a run on the fruit.” Together with the TV show, a recent book Asa (Morning) Banana Diet, proved to be a huge hit in Japan, selling more than 230,000 copies in just a few months. This book has a wide readership, from people in their teens to the elderly.

Even the Japanese Government continues to promote a slimmer and fitter nation, reinforcing the notion that Japan needs to be weight conscious, by introducing a new weight control system in the workplace. Although Japanese waistlines are still a long way off from that of the US or Australian waistlines, early this year the Japanese ministry of health mandated that all waistlines among its 56 million workers over the age of 40 be measured and recorded. If a man's waistline measures more than 85 centimetres and a woman's waistline measures more than 90 centimetres, the employer is held responsible, ensuring a strict diet and exercise program for all such employees. Any company failing to bring its employees' weight under control will be fined up to 10 per cent of its income.

The Japanese are keen to comply with this weigh-in for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is a powerful sense of “belonging” to the company, a strong loyalty and a desire to please one's employer. The second reason is fear of the latest word to hit the streets of Japan; that is 'Metabolic Syndrome' or 'metaboh'. Metabolic Syndrome is a series of conditions linked to overweight and obesity that increase the chance for heart disease and other health problems such as diabetes and stroke.

Many doctors have been staggered by calls from patients concerned about Metabolic Syndrome who have been asking exactly what it is and whether they are at risk of having it. Doctors in Japan have been surprised at how quickly a word like Metabolic Syndrome has become a common Japanese word and influences many Japanese people today, when countless people in the US don't even know much about this syndrome.

Fear quickly spread in Japan last year when the Japanese Ministry of Health announced its National Health Research Report. According to the report, one out of every two men between 40 and 74 years of age and one in every five women in the same age group showed some signs of Metabolic Syndrome in Japan. This report shocked the nation. At first, people had never heard of it and now they were all at risk of having it. For a country characterised by healthy eating habits and relatively low obesity rates, the report shocked everyone.

The introduction of workplace weigh-ins and the frightening Metabolic Syndrome statistics are certainly aimed at curbing the nation's escalating health care costs, which totalled ¥33.1 trillion in 2005. These figures have since risen and are projected to rise further as the population continues to age. But one would have to ask how a simple waistline measurement could monitor a disease when other factors such as blood pressure and cholesterol are not checked. With such low waistline measurements, it would seem half the population of Japan could be considered “abnormal”. Critics have suggested it's a waste of money, which scares people into being obsessed with body image instead of health. One such critic in the Japan Times (16th March, 2008) even stated, “If you follow the government's logic, you can do whatever you want to damage your health, as long as you have a slim waist.' He added that the government has meanwhile turned a blind eye to smokers.”

Despite the fact that the nation of Japan has one of the longest life expectancy in the world, recent studies have shown Japan's slimming obsession has increased remarkably during the past 20 years and this has notable ties to the increase in eating disorders. These findings are all too familiar to those who live in the West. Hence, it is becoming more and more difficult for Japanese people to be satisfied with their body image, when weight watching is increasingly promoted throughout society from simply turning on the TV, to going to work.

Is Metabolic Syndrome a serious threat to the Japanese people as portrayed and why, or is it another passing fad in Japanese society, which businesses have already cashed in on? It's fair to care for one's body and be interested in weight and fitness, but when awareness becomes an obsession fuelled by societies expectations or government fear tactics due to health care costs, it can be dangerous.

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