0
A Fuji TV news report aired on Nov. 10, 2026, highlighting the problem of Japanese women's obsession with being underweight. /Screenshot from Fuji TV

A growing culture of pursuing excessively thin body shapes among young women in Japan is leading to health problems. Concerns are mounting particularly because malnutrition among young women can affect not only their own health but also pregnancy, childbirth and, ultimately, the health of their children.

Major Japanese media outlets, including the Sankei Shimbun and Fuji TV, reported Tuesday on the growing obsession with thinness among young Japanese women.

Hirohito Sone, a professor of endocrinology at Niigata University, expressed concern in an interview with the Sankei Shimbun, saying, "Recently, the number of extremely thin young women in Japan has been increasing."

Currently, about one in five Japanese women in their 20s and 30s are reportedly underweight.

Sone attributed the trend to "the desire among many people to have slim figures like idols and models, and the growing perception that thinner bodies are more beautiful." In a society where thinness is regarded as a standard of beauty, many women attempt to lose weight despite being at a normal weight, while others become underweight through excessive dietary restrictions and exercise. Even women with healthy body shapes are increasingly trying to lose more weight to meet social expectations about appearance.

The problem is that this pursuit of thinness goes beyond appearance management and poses a threat to health.

"Malnutrition caused by excessive dietary restrictions can lead to low blood pressure, anemia, fatigue, cold hands and feet, and headaches," Sone explained. "It can also lead to psychological problems such as anxiety and depression." He also pointed out that excessive dieting can worsen skin and hair conditions, meaning that efforts to improve one's appearance can instead cause cosmetic problems.

The phenomenon is not limited to adults. Sone noted that "not only adults in their 20s and 30s but also teenagers who are still growing face bullying and ridicule because of their body shape," adding that an increasing number of adolescents are undergoing weight-loss procedures despite still being in their developmental years.

Excessive dieting during adolescence can have long-term health consequences. Women's bone density generally increases and reaches its peak around the age of 20. If they do not receive adequate nutrition during this period, they may fail to build sufficient bone mass, increasing their risk of osteoporosis later in life. Because bone mass developed at a young age plays a crucial role in lifelong bone health, failing to build adequate bone mass due to excessive dieting can lead to long-term health problems.

An even more serious concern is that being underweight can affect the health of the next generation through pregnancy and childbirth.

"Women who have poor nutritional status before pregnancy may struggle to provide sufficient nutrients to their babies during pregnancy, which can affect fetal growth," Sone pointed out.

In Japan, one in 10 newborns is born with a low birth weight. Babies born underweight sometimes experience rapid growth after birth, a phenomenon known as "catch-up growth." Sone explained that children who experience malnutrition in the womb and then gain weight rapidly after birth may face a higher risk of metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes.

He emphasized the importance of a balanced diet and appropriate exercise in maintaining a healthy weight. Above all, he stressed that "we must first change the social climate that treats thinness as the standard of beauty and constantly judges and compares people based on their weight." He added that "a culture of teasing children about their body shape and making insensitive comments about other people's weight encourages excessive dieting."

The Sankei Shimbun emphasized that underweight among women is not merely a personal issue, as a woman's nutritional status before pregnancy can affect not only fetal growth but also her child's health after birth.

                                                                                                           Jeong Eun-hye