In Japan, being thin isn’t just the price you pay for fashion or social acceptance. It’s the law.
So before the fat police could throw her in pudgy purgatory, Miki Yabe, 39, a manager at a major transportation corporation, went on a crash diet last month. In the week before her company’s annual health check-up, Yabe ate 21 consecutive meals of vegetable soup and hit the gym for 30 minutes a day of running and swimming.
“It’s scary,” said Yabe, who is 5 feet 3 inches and 133 pounds. “I gained 2 kilos [4.5 pounds] this year.”
In Japan, already the slimmest industrialized nation, people are fighting fat to ward off dreaded metabolic syndrome and comply with a government-imposed waistline standard. Metabolic syndrome, known here simply as “metabo,” is a combination of health risks, including stomach flab, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, that can lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Concerned about rising rates of both in a graying nation, Japanese lawmakers last year set a maximum waistline size for anyone age 40 and older: 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) for men and 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) for women.
In the United States, the Senate and House health care reform bills have included the so-called “Safeway Amendment,” which would offer reductions in insurance premiums to people who lead fitter lives. The experience of the Japanese offers lessons in how complicated it is to legislate good health.
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“In the United States, the Senate and House health care reform bills have included the so-called “Safeway Amendment,” which would offer reductions in insurance premiums to people who lead fitter lives.” – proper reading of which is “by which measure Govt. would social-engineer population behavior”. Thus making founding fathers turn in their graves.
Isn’t this the country with the 7 patties windows 7 burger?
“Safeway Amendment”; I’m overweight, high blood pressure and diabetes. I have lab test once every 3-months and see the Doctor, at the sametime, for any adjustments of meds. My sister, who does lead a “fitter life”, goes to the doctor monthly. And she would get the discount? I’m with #1
FTA: In the United States, the Senate and House health care reform bills have included the so-called “Safeway Amendment,” which would offer reductions in insurance premiums to people who lead fitter lives.
It could also read, “…which would charge higher insurance premiums to people who lead unfit lives.”
Isn’t that what people complain about insurance companies doing? They just call them preexisting conditions. Many “preexisting conditions” are lifestyle related.
#4, yeah, I was under the impression that discrimination in premium prices based on risk was “bad.” Guess bad is only when the insurance company does it outside any political objectives that Congress has.
What do they do throw you in jail? This is going to kill the sumo industry. The workaround is to get so fat you can’t fit into handcuffs.
Not even close to correct.
1. There is no law against being fat.
2. Somehow you have picked up and repeated a non truth.
3. What is true is that if you are fat, the premiums for your health insurance are a bit higher. There are rules that govern the conduct of the insurance investigators that are being call “laws” here.
Yoshi: Meguro-ku, Tokyo
7, Apparently Japanese employers get fined for having fat employees.
CNN Video on Japanese Fat Fines
ABC Article on the same topic
This SHOULD be a personal responsibility issue, but since the health care is government-run you’ll get wacky laws.
Over here, there’s even a sugar tax in some locations which is being promoted as a way to get Americans to think twice about eating junk foods when in actuality this will be another vehicle to fund government-run health care.
Someone going to keep count of the deaths from this?
The fault may not lie in sugar, but in good ole government-subsidized high-fructose corn syrup. Genetics and viruses are two other interesting side theories. Of course if we exercised more (getting away from the computer, or having a truly portable one that could be worked on while hiking. Wouldn’t you like to earn a salary while conducting Denk-Experimenten in the glorious outdoors?) and didn’t eat that crap, those alternative theories might become unnecessary.
At 6′ 3 3/4″ (around 190 cm), I haven’t seen a 33.5″ waist pair of trousers in a long time. Thus my handle. It wouldn’t bother me to pay a higher premium based upon some ratio (such as cube of height over waist size), but please not the pure waist. One size does not fit all. What a terrible waste that would be.
I call bullshit on this whole story. 34 inch waist being the max waistline for men?
Why don’t the ‘editors’ of this blog ever challenge obviously bullshit stories.
The link to the article has users refuting the article with good facts. Please use the BS meter on this blog, thanks.
11, 12: Obviously ABC and CNN didn’t know it’s BS either. 🙂
Until the NAU takes over, it will probably be declared uncounstitutional to maindate a weight limit, although bobbutt the Commie would probably need to loose about 120lbs to conform, so people only have to worry about paying more.
Like Michael Moore’s weight, you’re pay more taxes, more fees, more time while waiting for an appointment, more frustration while working your way through the system, etc. But unlike Michael Moore you’ll be actually going through this mess and he’ll be alloted a different hospital where all the political party members of the Demoncratic People’s Party be getting their treatment, just like congress does now.
Whatever……………………………….
Traaxx
If any veterans out there would like to get fat for free today, Applebee’s is offering a free meal to veterans if you can prove you served.
Enjoy getting fat for free without fear of reprisal from our government…. for now. 🙂
From the article:
“…a maximum waistline size for anyone age 40 and older: 85 centimeters (33.5 inches) for men…”
Whew! Just made it!