Put Down that Burger & Fries! Here Comes the Fat Patrol!

Welcome to the twilight zone. Seems the Japanese have passed a law mandating what they call “special checkups” for citizen 40 years old and up. These special checkups are done by doctors who measure the size of the patient’s waist. If a man is bigger than 33.5 inches or a woman bigger than 34.5 inches, then they are told to lose weight.

I kid you not, according to the story in the NY Times, the national law went into effect two months ago and requires corporations and city municipalities to measure the waistlines of it’s citizens. The governmental goal is to shrink the overweight population by 10 percent over the next four years, and by 25 percent over the next seven years.

According to the report, the government will impose financial and other penalties if the goals are not met.

Japan’s Minister of Health argues the new rules will cut back on cases of diabetes and stroke, as well as lower health care costs for it’s aging population.

Critics are arguing that the Japanese people are already some of the thinnest in the world and don't even come close to the problems in America. The only heavy Japanese that anyone sees are sumo wrestlers and I would be willing to bet they are exempt as long as they are working in the sport.

The story goes on to say that the Japanese people are literally breaking their necks to comply with the new laws. In fact, the mayor of one town and six of his buddies reportedly dubbed themselves the seven anti metabo samurai and started working out rigorously until one of them dropped dead from a heart attack. The seven metabo, er samurai promptly disbanded.

Metabo is the prefered Japanese word for obese...so if you’re anti metabo, it means you’re anti fat.

Could you see our government trying something like that here? American corporations are already trying to back door employees with rules on health, like the recent attempts to control smoking behavior on the job and at home. So far, the courts have ruled that companies here, can fire you for smoking at home.

You can also be fired for anything that violates your company’s morals behavior clauses....conduct unbecoming...you know the drill...If I were you, I would find that clause and read it because I guarantee you it contains more than prohibitions about porn and misuse of email.

And with all of the Japanese companies setting up shop in America, can the fat patrol be far off, here on American shores?

Don’t laugh. They may be knocking on your door next.