Hungary. I chose this topic because it connects everyday life (what we eat, how we drink, the rules around food) with public policy. It is also a good way to compare two countries that I care about: my home (Japan) and the place where I study medicine (Hungary). The goal of this essay is not to blame anyone, but to understand why the gap exists and what we can learn from each other.also increased, but from a much lower base (~1–2% a year). So, the gap has not disappeared over time. It is still very visible. Why is this interesting? Because obesity is not just about one behavior. It comes from a package of habits (meal patterns, snacks, salt and sugar, alcohol, physical activity), and the policies around us (taxes on unhealthy products, school lunch standards, education). If we compare the “package,” we can see where the gap may come from—and what actions help.Japan’s institutional road: school lunch + “shokuiku” (food education) Japan started “shokuiku” (Food and Nutrition Education) as a national policy framework. In schools, nutrition teachers use the school lunch as a living classroom: children learn about ingredients, balance, taste, and manners while eating. This is not a one-time campaign; it is daily practice. The government supports this through laws and guidance (for example, the Basic Act on Shokuiku) and the Ministry of Education’s school-lunch program materials. The goal is to build healthy habits early, not only to punish unhealthy choices later. When my friends in Budapest ask me about Japan, they often say: “Why are people in Japan so slim?” At the same time, in Hungary, many people seem to be overweight, and we, among my friends, often talk about how difficult it is to keep a healthy diet in Hungary. I realized this is not only a personal story. It is a national pattern. International data shows a clear gap in adult obesity between Japan and Let’s start with the numbers. On global rankings that use the standard international definition of obesity (BMI ≥ 30), Hungary is near the high end among high-income countries, while Japan is near the very low end. Recent global compilations place Hungary around the mid-30% range for adult obesity, and Japan around 8%. These numbers already tell us the difference is large, not small. Of course, each source uses slightly different data years and methods, but the overall message is consistent: the two countries sit on opposite sides of the obesity map. Trends also matter. OECD tracking shows that countries that were already high (like Hungary) kept rising by about ~1% a year, while historically low countries (like Japan) Policies create the environment for our daily choices. Here, Hungary and Japan chose different main roads.Hungary’s fiscal road: the Public Health Product Tax (PHPT)Hungary introduced a special tax on products high in sugar, salt, or caffeine back in 2011. The idea is simple: make unhealthy options more expensive, push companies to reformulate, and use the revenue for health. Evaluations by WHO/Europe show that the tax reduced consumption of some taxed categories and motivated reformulation (for example, less sugar or salt in certain products). The tax is not a magic bullet, but it is a clear, nation-level signal that shapes the food market. Shota TakanouchiIntroduction1) How big is the gap?2) Policy pathways: taxing unhealthy products vs. building habits in schoolSemmelweis University, Hungary15Can a Sugar Tax Beat a School Lunch?
元のページ ../index.html#16