Japan a nation not known for its overweight people, with the exception of sumo wrestlers, has undertaken one of the most ambitious campaigns ever by a country to slim down its citizenry. A new law prescribes that males must have waistlines at 33.5 inches of less.

The New York Times reports that, “under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.”

Anyone exceeding government limits – 33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women – will be given dietary guidance. If after three months they do not lose weight, they will be steered towards further re-education goals.

To accomplish its goal of shrinking the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years and 25 percent over the next seven years, the Japanese government will impose financial penalties on companies and local governments that fail to meet specific targets.

To read the entire article from the New York Times, link here:

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