Japan to citizens: "Trim your waistline ... or else."

I am curious to know how this law came to be passed by the Japanese government and to what degree citizens were involved. Can you imagine if a bill like this was seriously being considered by the U.S. Congress? There would be all sorts of anti-discrimination protests and cries about "destroying the self-esteem of our children" or other such complaints. Unlike other less important, more tedious proceedings -- for example, the proposed impeachment of the President -- something like this might even be covered by the mainstream media!

While the intentions are good, I don't really know if this is the best to go about fixing the problem of obesity.

What if they, like me, LIKE being chubby and curvy? Not everyone wants to be fit. This seems like a breach of rights.

Aren't the Japanese notoriously fit to begin with?

"Excuse me sir- your belly is disgusting and over regulation. I'm going to have to take you into the station for some cardio and a rice cake"

wow. the japanese gov't is way overstepping their bounds on this one

Its the fast food thats taken over Japan. I was there 2 years ago visiting my brother and there are a lot of McDonalds in Tokyo. Supposedly the younger generations have started to eat it regularly and have started to get a little hefty.

Most Japanese people don't have a lot of genetic variance in body type, and are also very health-conscious, so this kind of campaign is much more likely to be welcomed with open arms in Japan than it would be in the US. In the US, with our wide variety of body types and various cultural diets, something like this wouldn't work. In Japan, it's perfectly reasonable and can help people who have strayed from the traditional diet and indulged too much in Macu (McDonald's). Being overweight isn't even as remotely acceptable in Japan as it is here.

Still, I bet a lot of people in the US would welcome some free dietary guidance and nutrition education from their doctor, as long as it wasn't actually required.

This is interesting, although the mandatory requirement could be a bit degrading to some. I think its great that Japans government cares enough about its citizens' to take this sort of action. This would never happen in the United States. McDonalds and fast food are the drug of America, and the government doesn't care about its peoples health. Theres always some pill out there pharmaceuticals are promoting (and putting money into the presidents pockets) to take care of all life's problems.

Japanese ideas has always been kinda weird, but this one actually makes sense.

I don't think this would ever work here in the US.

Ha, I love it. Get sexy or else!

If this happened in the US, chaos would ensue.

But also, someones waistline size is their own business. It seems like they are trying to single out those that are overweight and could demean some people.

To everyone who is upset about this and thinks the government is oversteppn their bounds...so what. So the yare saying hey you are unhealthy for your height/age we are going to fix that and if you don't get where you need to be we will help you get there.

All of you people who are outraged need to look at America and see the obesity epidemic and then realize if our government would have been helping us it never would have gotten so bad.

Honestly, I'd be more likely to worry about their suicidal teens than their slightly over weight 40 - 74 year olds.

As if being fat didn't already suck...

when you get older your metabolism slows. why would the make some when who cant help themselfs take a class! how cruel!

I think everyone has the right to decide on how they want to live their life.

American needs this law.

Even though I can never find my size in pants and I'm average. So I tend to doubt this fat American thing.

Gee, I wonder what it like to live in a country where the government actually cares about you!

homeboy on the link sure looks like he is enjoying himself..

americans are free to choose how they want to eat and live.. speaking generally, the majority choose to live unhealthy and overeat and overconsume while most of the rest of the world encourages efficiency and moderation.. partly because of limited resources, partly because of the truth in following the middle path, avoiding excess, living in harmony, etc..

instead of watching the population grow bigger and bigger, at least the japanese govt is trying to be proactive about it.. although.. i dont know if measuring waistlines is the way to do it.. sounds like a fun job though.. haha..

wait a second.. why do they allow a bigger waistline for women? uncool..

:P

are you sure its not just one of those fad diet......oh wait, its law. wow thats really fucked up.

Am I mistaken or is 40 years old to late to wait to check on the old waistline. In the U.S. 4 would be more the going age. Sad but true.

This is awesome. Fat people need to have laws passed about there fatness. It's the only way. I don't like fat people much.

As if Japanese business men don't have enough to stress out about.

Japanese people have more to worry about than just their weight, like suicide and OCD.....

Stirring generalizations about the Japanese, suicidal and OCD. I guess only they have these problems, oh wait in my high school there was 6 suicides in one year, and that was 15 years ago!! And OCD, we have to worry about autism and ADHD. What is the difference? Our governement is thinking that money can be made, not about our health overall. I don't know if the limits should be that strict in the US but maybe there should be some! Funny how there was not really a problem until McDonald's showed up, I guess the japanese never watched super size me, they add sugar to the cheese products in McDonalds good grief, they should be closed down and put on trial for what they have done to America and thier contributiont to the obesity epidemic!!

for those who like being out of shape, borderline obese aka curvy, have fun with a bad back, knees, diabetes, gall bladder issues and having your pancreas removed. by all means, chow down.

fast food isn't to blame. lazy and inherently fat people and fat parents without will power are to blame.

I've reached the point where I don't care anymore about hurting people's feelings- overweight people need to shape up. This is a great idea, and since it's free and not overly pressuring, I'm all for it. If you're "curvy" and still a healthy weight, I don't give a shit, but obese people are killing themselves to the point where they might LITERALLY kill themselves having a sugical operation to remove the fat they themselves gave themselves. Although this might not be the best plan, at least the Japanese are trying to do something, unllike our government, who's only giving more money to the corporations who are killing our population.

interesting first line from thegirlwhocares

it would certainly help the health care system if less than 30% of the country was obese.