JAPAN

For Japanese Women, a Competition to be Thin In Japan, only 3.5 percent of the population is considered obese. In contrast, the U.S has a climbing obesity rate that is currently thirty percent. A main reason for the contrast in obesity rates is the “culture of health” that Japan has long promoted. In part, Japan has been the healthiest nation thanks to its meals of vegetables, fish, and small portions. However, although Japan is able to avoid the problem of obesity, it is experiencing a rapid increase in eating disorders. Japanese government data shows that since 1984, all age categories of women from the teenage years to age 59 have become thinner. In fact, according to the Japanese government for the majority of women in this age group, Body Mass Index (BMI) falls below 18.5, which is considered underweight. Unlike the rest of the world, Japan’s population is getting skinnier, not fatter. The government’s changes in BMI and weight laws, as well as cultural expectations to be thin, have led Japanese women in all different age groups to develop eating disorders. According to the American Psychiatric Association, anorexia and bulimia are categorized by clinical disturbances in body image. Individuals who have eating disorders complain of feeling fat all the time. In addition, they have a fear of gaining weight and have a relentless pursuit of thinness. According to the Columbia University Press, “Bulimia nervosa is defined by an overvaluation of weight shape and the behavioral symptoms of recurrent binge eating accompanied by purging and fasting.” Japanese doctors say that bulimia is the most common eating disorder in Japan, even more prevalent than anorexia. The Columbia University Press defines anorexia as “self-starvation in which the individual is obsessed with becoming increasingly thinner and limits food intake to the point where health is compromised.” According to retired Tokyo University epidemiologist Hiroyuki Suematsu, one in one hundred

Cited: Shimbun, Yomiuri. Eating Disorders seen rising among woman. Newspaper Source Plus. 26 Feb 2012 Harden, Blaine. “Big in Japan? Fat chance for nation 's young women.” The Washington Post. 7 March 2012 Naomi, Chisuwa. O’Dea, Jennifer A. Body Image and eating disorders amongst Japanese adolescents. Appetite. Vol. 54 Issue 1, p5-15. 11p. Feb 2010 Hanias, Georgia. “Anorexia: The epidemic Japan refuses to live up to.” Women’s Issues. 5 May 2012. Efron, Sonni. “Eating disorders in the increase in Asia.” Los Angeles Times. 8 March 2012. Mcnicol, Tony. “Japan diet risks on rise.” The Japan Times. 3 Aug 2004. “Eating Disorders.” The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. 6th Edition. 2013.