Japan Cracks Down on Waistlines
A rise in diabetes and other ailments is blamed on a growing appetite for sweets
Few Japanese are willing to criticize the government's regulations or their employer's plans for the record. But the Japan Times newspaper ran a column quoting outraged, but unnamed, workers. One worker says he intends to fast for three days before his examination to shed the inches he needs to pass his physical. Another told the newspaper, "My waistline is none of my company's business."
Many Japanese have turned to technology to fight flab. Television here is now flush with commercials for exercise equipment and electronic belts that promise to melt the fat away. And NEC has just developed a new feature for mobile phones in Japan, which analyzes the reported daily intake of the phone user and determines if the diet is healthful.
It is now a civic duty to stay fit, says Naoko Takase, assistant manager of public relations for Sunstar. "Many employees are happy for this information and guidance we offer in our program," he says. "But some employees think they want to do this themselves, that their diet is not the company or government's concern."
Reader Comments
How to keep your body healthy:private opinion
I have no experience in obesity, for I have the charactor as nervous, so I have been never fat. All what I did for shape-up is leading a routine meal and movement:Run and walk away
What about practicing it?
Thanks
Imagine A World..
where everything in your life is metered, measured controlled and dictated to you. Where personal choice is not possible and enforcment of governmental policies becomes a "report your neighbour" social structure.
Consumer products distributed rather than selected. Conformity as patriotism, dissent is illegal. Employment based on physical appearance. Segregation based on physical characteristics, greater health costs for depression, eating disorders and mental distress due to self-image.
Black market health damaging weight control products, foods and radical surgical procedures.
Forcful intervention into the private lives of all citizens, removal of children for even slightly non-conforming parents.
Just Imagine...
I tentatively support it
The health cost to the country is astounding for long term care of chronic diseases, and obesity, and it's related illnesses that can be avoided maybe should be. In Canada we have higher and higher taxes, partly because of more health care for our aging population.
However, if they start to monitor this health risk, I would also like to see them monitoring all other optional health risks, like smoking, drinking, X-treme sports, etc. Consistency and fairness is key.
Also, there is always a warning sign that goes up whenever the government starts to monitor what its citizens start doing. How far will it go, once the precedent is set... and does it really matter? If the state pays for your health care, do they have the right to determine which health risks you take?
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