My first thought was, "oh, hell naw." I'd better stay my chubby self out of Japan. There would definitely be an ill-fitting jumpsuit and prison cell waiting for me. But then I read the article and parts of it actually makes sense.
Hear me out. Its not like they're going to jail you for being large, what they're doing is incentivizing companies who encourage their workers to be fit. Primarily they're concerned with the size of a person's waist which is a good indicator, and possibly predisposes people to metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is a combination of dangerous medical factors like high blood sugar, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
The law only applies to people who are over 40 years old. Right now Japan has one of the lowest rates of obesity in the world at about 5%, compared with the U.S. where its about 35%. I don't agree that good health should be mandated. I do like the idea that companies benefit from healthy employees and thus are encouraged to help make their employees healthier. I haven't read the new healthcare bill, (its 2000 pages, are you freaking kidding me?), but my understanding is that insurance companies are going to have a harder time denying people with preexisting health conditions. If this is the case, maybe some consideration could go towards rewarding people who make an effort to be fit. Lowering their insurance premiums is a good way to do that.
I don't agree however that this Japan's method is necessarily the healthiest way to go about it, but some aspects are worth considering. I'm certain a law like this could lead to eating disorders. What do you guys think?
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