Department of Food, Nutrition and Health

Department of
Food, Nutrition and Health
Inquiry 日本語

Our Challenges

Global Nutrition Crisis

Can SDG3 “Good Health and Well-Being” be achieved?

Worldwide, the triple burden of malnutrition — chronic hunger, micronutrient deficiencies, and overnutrition — is expanding. In developing countries, lifestyle-related diseases are also increasing rapidly, while climate change, resource scarcity, and geopolitical risks are destabilizing food supplies. As the global population continue to grow, improving nutrition while ensuring sustainable food systems has become an urgent global challenge.

Challenges and Opportunities of the Japanese Diet

Is the Japanese Diet Truly Healthy?
What Does the Future Hold?

The Japanese diet, with its diversity of ingredients, appropriate energy intake, and use of fermented foods, has the potential to help address global nutrition challenges from both health and sustainability perspectives. Yet domestically, problems such as excessive salt intake, calcium deficiency, and undernutrition among older adults and young women remain, along with health issues including cancer, stroke, and frailty.

Lack of Research Evidence and Limited Global Dissemination

Can the value of the Japanese diet be recognized globally?

The value of the Japanese diet has not been sufficiently evaluated through scientific research, nor has it been systematically communicated to the international community. As a result, despite growing interest and recognition abroad, efforts to reflect Japan’s unique knowledge in global nutrition policies and healthy dietary guidelines have lagged behind.

Rethinking Western Healthy Diet Models

The need for evidence-based clarification

In Western countries, “healthy diet” models have been developed through government-industry-academia collaboration, focused mainly on tackling obesity and ischemic heart disease. These emphasize energy intake, saturated fats, and red/processed meat, while encouraging whole grains, nuts, and other plant foods. However, in Japan, the prevalence of obesity and ischemic heart disease is relatively low. Instead, issues such as being underweight, stroke, and calcium deficiency are more pressing, highlighting the limitations of directly applying Western standards.

Examples of questions about the applicability of Western dietary guidelines in Japan

Approaches to solving food and health issues in Western countries
  1. Is energy restriction necessary for everyone?
  2. To what extent should saturated fats be limited?
  3. To what extent should animal protein, fat, and red/processed meat be restricted?
  4. To what extent should carbohydrates and sugar be restricted?
  5. Should sodium restriction place greater emphasis on the sodium-to-potassium ratio?
  6. How should recommendations for protein and dietary fiber be designed?
  7. How should recommendations for whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes (FVNL) be tailored?
Japan’s unique approaches to solving food and health issues
  1. Should greater emphasis be placed on correcting calcium deficiency?
  2. Does dietary diversity, a hallmark of Japanese food culture, also contribute to better health?