Society

Survey: More Japanese kids overweight, possibly due to pandemic

Nov 29 (NHK) - A Japanese government survey shows last year there were record high percentages of overweight children in many age groups, possibly due to pandemic-related lifestyle changes.

The education ministry studies the health checkup data of children nationwide from kindergarten through high school to survey their development.

The ministry usually conducts the survey from April to June each school year. But in the three years through 2023, the ministry extended its survey period till March due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The Japanese school year runs from April to March.

The survey shows that, in the 2022 school year, every age group from the fifth grade through the third year of junior high school had the highest percentages ever of overweight boys. The current survey method was introduced in 2006.

There are six grades in Japanese elementary schools. Junior high schools have three-year systems.

More than 15 percent of fifth-grade boys and 11.3 percent of third-year junior high school males were overweight.

Among females, every elementary school age group, except second grade, logged the highest ever percentage of overweight girls. More than 10 percent of sixth-grade girls were overweight.

Ministry officials advised against simple comparisons of past data with the latest figures because the sampling periods were different. But they suspect the pandemic led to lifestyle changes, such as affording kids fewer opportunities to exercise.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.