What Japan’s Metabo Law Teaches Us About Prioritizing Employee Health

Desk jobs are notorious for encouraging the sedentary lives the majority of us live, and it’s common to gain a few pounds after finding a new job that keeps you seated all day. There has been a rise in obesity among citizens across the globe, and many different attempts have been made to address it. Japan’s Metabo law is one example of a law to bring health back to the forefront of the conversation. Is being fat illegal in Japan? Certainly not, but the country is well-known for making a dedicated attempt at ensuring its citizens are healthy. 

A great diet and genetics have a big role to play in longevity and fitness, but the Japanese obesity policy may also be important to consider. In 2008, Japan introduced the Metabo law, a rule that started tracking worker’ waistlines to keep their health in check. 

Measuring waists at work sounds like an egregious breach of privacy, but is there something we can learn about putting workers and their health first?

There’s a lot to learn from Japan’s Metabo law and its intention to hold employers accountable for employee health.

What Is Japan’s Metabo Law? Understanding the Waistline Rule

Cultural differences and the varying practices they bring can feel unusual at first glance, and an obesity policy is a particularly sensitive topic. However, the Japanese may be onto something with their strategy of getting employers directly involved in improving employee health.

In 2008, Japan introduced the Metabo law, a public health initiative to encourage citizens to stay fit and employers to ensure they do. The initiative focused on promoting a healthier lifestyle among the population, particularly those aged between 40 to 74, who were at higher risk of disease but still had time to address their ailments early on. 

What Do The Guidelines for the Metabo Law State?

The Japanese obesity policy set a threshold for citizen waistlines—33.5 inches for men and 35.4 inches for women—which could be tracked during their annual health checkups. The limits were based on International Diabetes Federation guidelines linked to various metabolic syndrome risks like high blood pressure, diabetes, and other heart diseases. This is where Japan’s waistline rule likely got its innocent and adorable name.

Citizens who were found to exceed the waistline threshold were given three months to lower it, and those who were unable to are given additional dietary guidelines. Following a six-month check-in, citizens would be directed to additional re-education if they were unable to lose weight.

Metabo Law Explained: What Do Employers Have to Do With This Rule?

The Japanese obesity policy could have left it to citizens to track their own waistlines and stay in line, but it took things one step further by getting employers involved. As part of the law, employers were legally obligated to ensure a percentage of its workers still remained within the waistline targets. 

If the local government and employers failed at this task of reducing the number of its employees, they had no choice but to pay a hefty fine for the failure. Citizens would not be penalized or fined themselves, but the burden of support was placed on employers and local authorities instead. 

Was the Japanese Obesity Policy Successful?

Very little has been reported on the success of the Metabo law in Japan and whether it has actually brought the obesity levels further down. According to The Japan Times, obesity among men was reported to have risen in the ten years leading up to 2022 when considering those with a BMI of 25 or higher, standing at 31.7% among men above 20. The level remained the same from previous years among women at 21%.

Compared to other countries, Japan’s obesity problem is considerably more under control, but it has still not fallen to zero despite the country’s attempts. There is no data available on how many companies have paid employee fines for obese employees since Japan’s Metabo law went into effect. 

Despite the lack of any public information on the matter, the initiative to encourage employers to think about employee health is still something that more countries can learn from. 

Should More Companies Learn from Japan’s Workplace Health Law?

Does talking about Japan’s workplace health law mean we think more employers need to start measuring waists at work? Not at all. The cultural differences alone would make this a much harder regulation to follow in the Western world. Even setting that aside, the obesity levels are much higher in these regions, and it would take a much bigger lifestyle change to bring it under control.

While we aren’t advocating for employers to start looking into the personal lives and intruding on the health of employees, it is a good time for governments to consider regulations that encourage employers to take employee well-being more seriously. Workers spend the majority of their days at work. It is difficult for them to take independent action and switch to healthier habits within the workplace without someone raising an eyebrow and questioning their commitment to the job. 

How Can Employers Support Employee Well-Being?

An organization is only as healthy as its employees. A business that is made up of lively, healthy workers can enjoy the infectious energy they bring to work every day. Healthier employees are often happier, more in control of their lives, and can focus better on their work. 

They require fewer days off from work, and while they are on the job, they don’t have as many distractions keeping them away from their desks. There are a few different ways employers can take a more active role in the lives of their employees.

• Provide better insurance and health benefits so employees can address health conditions like diabetes more actively
• Encourage mobility at work or even among those who work from home
• Provide health subscriptions like a gym membership or yoga classes
• Offer healthy meals and snacks as a way for employees to enjoy a healthy diet
• Provide employees with office equipment such as a standing desk that can be raised so that they aren’t forced to stay seated the whole day
• Conduct health drives to encourage workers to get checked and treated for their ailments 
• Partner with health organizations or other businesses that promote wellness or provide tools to support their employees’ health
• Organize sports events or other fitness activities where workers can come together and regularly participate as a team
• Conduct seminars and workshops on the importance of health and the ways workers can prioritize theirs
• Allow employees to log out of work on time so they can focus on other activities after work

Viewing health as an entirely separate factor from work is one of the primary reasons why physical and mental health has declined over the years, even as work has taken on a more central role in most of our lives. Why not get healthy while we work?

Final Thoughts on Japan’s Metabo Law

Sedentary jobs may have made it easier for workers to get through their tasks quickly without having to move around too much—everything is a call or an email now, so there’s no need to walk to marketing or accounting every day. However, there have been adverse consequences to this as well. There is no single, all-encompassing solution to the problem.

In order to improve the overall health and well-being of the country, we need to make changes to the diet, lifestyle, activity levels, stress levels, and other social determinants of health. Healthier workers won’t just be better at their jobs but will also be more loyal to an employer that invests time and energy in them. 

While it’s entirely too soon to start measuring waistlines at work—do not bring out the weighing scales either—governments should start looking into ways to encourage employers to play a role in the health of their workers. Employers that care will find employees that care about their jobs, too. 

Different cultures have different approaches to work and wellness, but a lot can be learned from studying their approach. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights into how the landscape of work is evolving and what you can do to improve your organization next.

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