Tag: Japan health policy

According to the OECD, as of 2009, only about 3.5% of the Japanese population was classified as obese, highlighting a significant cultural and lifestyle difference compared to Western countries. This reality raises many questions for foreigners or visitors about what if you are overweight in Japan and the societal norms and expectations that come with it.

In 2008, Japan enacted the Metabo Law, a unique health initiative aimed at controlling healthcare costs, sparking international headlines asking: what are the fat rules in Japan?. Contrary to popular myth, it is not illegal to be fat in Japan, but the law does require annual waistline measurements for citizens aged 40 to 74 as part of a national health push.