Japan has recently adopted a law that declares legal limits on waistlines. 33.6 inches (85.3 cm) is the limit for men. If you’re considering emigrating to Japan with the intention of becoming a citizen, this is something to consider.
If you exceed the limit, you are described by the lovely term “metabo,” which is simply metabolic syndrome truncated. In Japanese, foreign loan words have a euphemistic effect, unlike an actual Japanese word such as debu*.
*chubby, fat.
Tags: health, Japan, New York Times
