Japan has the lowest obesity rate among developed countries thanks to a balanced diet that emphasizes simplicity, and the Metabo Law monitors abdominal obesity.
Japan has recently approved the use of the weight loss drug Wegovy, which is currently in short supply worldwide due to high demand. At first glance, this seems like good news for the manufacturer Novo Nordisk. However, Pharma Letter predicts that the product will not make a significant breakthrough in Japan because the obesity rate here is very low, at only 4.5% of the population compared to 42% in the United States.
Several months ago, journalist Johann Hari from Time visited Japan to research his book “Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Alarming Risks of New Weight Loss Drugs.” Initially, he believed that the Japanese possessed a special gene that made them slimmer than people in other parts of the world. However, after further investigation, he found that Japanese immigrants to Hawaii since the late 19th century were similarly overweight as the local population. This proves that factors beyond genetics also influence their body shape, he concluded.
The Menu Emphasizes Simplicity
This became clearer after his visit to the Tokyo Sushi & Washoku College. There, he met with Masaru Watanabe, the school’s principal, to learn about the principles of Japanese cuisine.
“The hallmark of Japanese cuisine is simplicity. For us, the simpler, the better,” Watanabe said.
He explained that the Japanese do not have a tradition of eating a lot of meat. As an island nation, they value seafood. Western cuisine uses butter, lemon, herbs, and sauces to create flavor.
“But the Japanese style is completely the opposite,” he noted. They focus on “minimalist cuisine,” striving to highlight the natural flavors of the ingredients. Japanese meals typically consist of several small dishes, often five.
Watanabe also explained the eating principles of the Japanese people. First, they “eat in a triangular manner,” which means taking a little of each dish and then returning to the first dish, continuing this way until the meal is finished.
“Here, finishing one dish before moving on to another is considered very strange and impolite,” he said.
Second, the Japanese stop eating when they feel 80% full. They believe the body needs time to register fullness; if you feel full while eating, you have definitely overeaten.
After three days of eating in the Japanese style, Hari felt healthier and lighter. He noted that the Japanese have built a completely different relationship with food over thousands of years.
Children having lunch at a kindergarten in Yokohama, Japan. (Photo: AFP).
Regulations Supporting Weight Loss
However, much of Japan’s food culture has been formed recently. Professor Barak Kushner from Cambridge University states that Japanese food before the 1920s “was not very tasty.” They only ate fresh fish once a week, their diet lacked protein, and stewed or fried dishes were not common. The average life expectancy of the Japanese at that time was 43.
The new food culture began to take shape when the country built an army to attack other regions in Asia, aiming to create healthier soldiers. After the defeat in World War II, the new government accelerated this transformation.
According to law, every school in Japan must have a nutrition expert. They design school meals according to strict regulations for fresh and healthy food, supervise cooking, and educate children and parents about nutrition. Students’ meals typically consist of five small portions: white fish, noodles with vegetables, milk, rice, and a little seasoning. All students eat the same meal together, and canned food is prohibited, as well as processed or frozen foods.
At Koenji Gakuen, a school for students aged 5 to 18 in Tokyo, principal Minoru Tanaka requires lunch to meet specific guidelines. She eats with the students to ensure safety, nutrition, and taste.
While the students eat, principal Harumi raises colorful strings representing essential nutrients for health. Students need to remember and answer questions, such as “What benefits do red strings – carbohydrates provide?” or “What part of the body is calcium good for, represented by yellow strings?”
A group of elderly people exercising in a park in Tokyo in October 2022. (Photo: AFP)
In 2008, noticing a slight increase in obesity rates, the Japanese government enacted the “Metabo Law” to mitigate the negative consequences of abdominal obesity. The law stipulates that each year, businesses and local authorities must measure the waist circumference of adults aged 40 to 74. If it exceeds the prescribed limit, the individual receives medical advice, and the workplace must develop a weight loss plan with the employee. Companies with overweight employees may face penalties.
Junya Nagasawa, director of the fitness application company Tanita, noted that when the Metabo Law came into effect, businesses suddenly had a demand for health monitoring technology. Therefore, Tanita designed a video screen and a health monitoring system. Everyone in the company wears a pedometer to track their daily steps. This encourages those who do not have exercise habits to move more.
The Metabo Law, along with other measures in Japan, has had a significant impact. The country’s obesity rate is the lowest among developed nations. Every morning, from 7 AM to 8 AM, in parks, elderly people gather in groups to exercise together. This contributes to the average life expectancy of the Japanese being among the highest in the world, with men living to an average of 81 years and women reaching 88 years.
Learning from Japan, some developed countries have begun to focus on their citizens’ diets to reduce obesity rates. Mexico has imposed taxes on sugary drinks. In Amsterdam, the government limits soda in schools and coordinates personal trainers for overweight students, leading to a 12% reduction in childhood obesity from 2012 to 2018. Many American cities have programs that promote “food as medicine.”
