Battle Of The Bulge In Japan

Big bellies in Japan are suddenly bad news. Proof, say waist measurers, like Dr. Yasuhiko Tomino, that Japan is getting fat, CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen reports.

"Body weight of the Japanese people has increased due to the westernized lifestyle," Tomino said.

It's the American disease. Fatty foods and sedentary life has so alarmed the government that it ordered a dramatic solution: putting middle-aged Japan on a diet.

Japanese government officials are smart enough to know that when it comes to exercise, most of us are basically lazy. So they figured out the way to the waist line is through the bottom line.

The company bottom line, that is. Millions of dollars in penalties will be assessed unless companies can get employees to slim down.

The goal for men: a waist of 33.5 inches, for women, 35.5 with a menu of creative options for getting there.

One company gives every employee a pedometer and a reason to step lively: a million steps a month earns a gift certificate.

Another company has employees take pictures of each meal they eat, e-mailing them to experts who check calorie charts and report back what good or bad choices were made.

Thomas Osuka is a maintenance manager for a Japanese airline. At his compulsory physical by the company doctor he was 20 pounds overweight with problems like high cholesterol. Thomas was told: "diet and exercise."

In three months he lost those pounds.

And what about those health problems?

"Everything is within the range," Osuka said.

"Everything is normal?" Petersen asked. "All those tests?"

"Yes," Osuka said. "Wow."

But in Japan, one ancient tradition will still trump any modern day weight-loss mandate - sumo wrestling.

Here, fat is still good and big will always be beautiful.