Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) Senior Manager Ms. Eri Yoshimura contributed to an article in the Nikkei Morning Edition titled “Understanding Obesity”. Ms. Yoshimura’s contribution was published in the Personal Opinion and Insight column on March 22, 2024.

With the advent of innovative obesity drugs, off-label use for the purpose of losing weight has become an issue around the world. The problem of off-label use can be attributed to the social stigma around overweight people and a social climate that overly promotes the desire to be thin. In fact, the number of young women in Japan with a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 is increasing, which poses a problem because of the increased risk of osteoporosis, infertility, and low birth weight.

The article may be found at the link. (Viewing the full article requires a Nikkei user account.)
*Available only in Japanese

HGPI has been discussing future obesity countermeasures through interviews with obesity sufferers and discussions with experts from industry, government, academia, and the private sector. Our preliminary policy recommendation paper for FY 2023 can be found here (Japanese Only, The full English version will be released in April).