Doctors and specialists believe people should eat more traditional Japanese meals with rice as the main staple, to safeguard against lifestyle-related illnesses.
Speaking at a recent meeting at the Japan Medical Association hall, Toshiiye Sakata, a professor emeritus at Oita Medical University and a professor at Nakamura Gakuen University, said Japanese meals are useful for treatment and prevention of obesity.
"It has also become better known that chewing is important," he added.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.