It's illegal to be fat in Japan

• Hiccup wrote on 2010-10-07 22:58
  [Image: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2008/06/13/world/metabo.01.650.jpg]

  
  

  Thanks to an anti-obesity law passed last year, Japanese salarymen across the nation are pulling up their shirts to have their guts measured... and if they're overweight, they face consequences.
  
  If you're male and your waist is over 33.5 inches, you're considered fat. If you're female, the limit is 35.4 inches. Thanks to those burgers, you now have to attend mandatory counseling with a physician. For every grotesquely obese employee like yourself, your company gets hit by a fine; ergo, they strongly encourage you to lose weight with gifts of gym memberships and pedometers.
  
  The goal of all this is to prevent Japan from experiencing an obesity epidemic like so many other industrialized nations. The theory is the less overweight people you have, the lower health care costs will be across the board. Although I think the waistline restrictions are a bit strict (how is a six foot tall foreigner supposed to have a 33-inch waist?), this seems like a good idea overall. America could certainly benefit from less junk in the trunk... but would such a system work here?

  
  Source: It's illegal to be fat in Japan // Current
• Osayidan wrote on 2010-10-07 23:04
  I think this is genius D:
  Kinda late for north amerika though.
• Kayate wrote on 2010-10-07 23:06
  This is good and bad at the same time
  
  good part is well they keeping their citizens in shape
  the bad part is that it kinda looks like discrimination.
• Kueh wrote on 2010-10-07 23:08
  The government of Japan woke up one day and said, "Hey guys. You know what'd be really funny?"
• Hiccup wrote on 2010-10-07 23:10
  I don't think any Japanese are fat, well I've never seen one and I'm not about to go google search it though
• Spartaaaaa wrote on 2010-10-07 23:10
  LOL is there a weight limitation on dogs too?
• Kayate wrote on 2010-10-07 23:12

  Quote from Spartaaaaa;178602:

  LOL is there a weight limitation on dogs too?

  
  
  I doubt there will be one for dogs.
• Piko wrote on 2010-10-07 23:13

  Quote from Whyrainfalls;178600:

  The government of Japan woke up one day and said, "Hey guys. You know what'd be really funny?"

  
  
  Koizumi.
• Kueh wrote on 2010-10-07 23:21

  Quote from Pikablu;178605:

  Koizumi.

  
  
  Aka Japanese Richard Gere.
• Chiri wrote on 2010-10-07 23:22
  Sumo wrestlers are all out of a job now :[
• BobYoMeowMeow wrote on 2010-10-07 23:31
  this isnt news
  [video=youtube;QFXqvwfIO9M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFXqvwfIO9M[/video]
  Sumo wrestlers still have jobs in japan
  
  and in reality, sumo wrestlers are healthier than most humans
• Shanghai wrote on 2010-10-07 23:33

  Quote from Osayidan;178592:

  I think this is genius D:
  Kinda late for north amerika though.

  
  
  Oh I see what you did thar.
  
  Most of my Japanese friends are usually average to really freaking skinny. Not a single one of them is chubby.
• Magenera wrote on 2010-10-08 00:08

  Quote from BobYoMeowMeow;178622:

  this isnt news
  [video=youtube;QFXqvwfIO9M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFXqvwfIO9M[/video]
  Sumo wrestlers still have jobs in japan
  
  and in reality, sumo wrestlers are healthier than most humans

  
  They will have to go out of country to do sumo at this point. That if they don't join the porn industry, other than that. This bill will probably face the wrath of the what ever the sumo corporation is called. It's a unrealistic goal, that might bite them in the ass. Of course as you already stated, the porn industry can always use more people for different fetishes.
• Lan wrote on 2010-10-08 00:09

  Quote from Magenera;178673:

  They will have to go out of country to do sumo at this point. That if they don't join the porn industry, other than that. This bill will probably face the wrath of the what ever the sumo corporation is called. It's a unrealistic goal, that might bite them in the ass. Of course as you already stated, the porn industry can always use more people for different fetishes.

  
  
  Sumo wrestlers are respected too much to be affected by this bill. There are probably exemptions for them :/
• Tatsu wrote on 2010-10-08 00:12
  Sumo wrestlers aren't salarymen. I think.