Truth in advertising has never been strictly enforced in Japan, especially with regard to health-related claims. Breweries can get away with promoting "low-calorie" beers as weight-loss aids, while pharmaceutical makers sell vitamin supplements that claim to do everything from clear up your skin to help you get that promotion.

TV programming is worse. Variety shows that presume to offer health advice mask their irresponsibility by implying that they are primarily entertainment. The theme of TBS's "P-Kan Body" (Saturday, 7 p.m.) is "health and beauty," though what the program actually sells is a particular media-reinforced image of the body. Many of the guests are professional models and most of the information is about how to lose weight.

On the May 6 program there was a segment about a "diet" centered on white kidney beans. Viewers were told to roast and grind raw beans and then sprinkle them over rice. By May 30, 965 people had complained to TBS that they became ill after trying the recipe; 104 were actually hospitalized. TBS apologized and placed a message on its Web site that said people who became ill as a result of trying the "white-bean method" could request compensation for medical bills by submitting doctors' reports to TBS.