Cut Back on the Sushi

Japanese men are about 10 percent heavier than they were 30 years ago, and Japanese women are packing on the pounds, too. So the government has ordered companies to reduce the number of overweight employees by 10 percent by 2012 and 25 percent by 2015. Those companies that can't cut the fat face surcharges of up to 10 percent on the contributions they make for elder care. The government has also required that everyone over 40 be tested annually for metabolic syndrome, a combination of factors linked to an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes.