KEY POINTSNovo Nordisk Pharma and Kasugai test Japan’s first obesity referral model from health checks to specialist careAll residents who visited specialist institutions through the pilot receive obesity diagnosesKasugai estimates about 2,500 residents had BMI 35 or higher in 2023
Kasugai’s pilot linked residents with BMI 35 or higher from health checks to specialist care, with all examined participants diagnosed with obesity. Photo by Chang Duong on Unsplash
Chang Duong
Novo Nordisk Pharma Ltd. and Kasugai City in Aichi Prefecture have completed what they described as Japan’s first operational test of a referral model linking municipal health checkups and public health guidance to specialist medical care for severe obesity, according to an Aug. 21 release.
The pilot was conducted under a comprehensive partnership on obesity measures signed in 2024. It was designed to encourage residents with a body mass index, or BMI, of 35 or higher to seek treatment at specialist medical institutions. Among residents who visited specialist providers through the program, all were diagnosed by physicians with obesity, the release said.
The project began in October 2024 and used health examinations such as comprehensive medical checkups at the Kasugai City General Health and Medical Center. Public health nurses directly encouraged people with a BMI of 35 or above who were not already visiting a medical institution to seek care.
Kasugai and Novo Nordisk Pharma organized the effort through three channels: recommendations during health guidance sessions at the city’s examination center, mailed notices sent to all eligible residents, and referrals from family doctors to specialist medical institutions. Outreach materials were designed to make the disease easier to understand visually and lower psychological barriers to seeking treatment, according to the release.
A total of 104 people with a BMI of 35 or higher received health guidance, and 44 of them who did not have a regular doctor were encouraged to seek treatment. Seven subsequently visited specialist medical institutions, and all seven were diagnosed with obesity. A questionnaire also found that 67% of residents targeted for care recommendations said they wanted to visit a medical institution.
Kasugai estimates that about 2,500 residents met the severe-obesity threshold in 2023. The city, which has a population of about 300,000 and borders Nagoya, has seen an increase in people meeting the criteria for metabolic syndrome.
Novo Nordisk Pharma and Kasugai signed their partnership agreement on Oct. 23, 2024. The initiative aims to build obesity countermeasures in the city and extend healthy life expectancy by preventing the worsening of lifestyle-related diseases associated with obesity.
In Japan, a BMI of 25 or higher is defined as obesity. The release defines obesity disease, or himansho, as a condition in which obesity is accompanied by related health disorders, or where such complications are expected, and medical weight reduction is required.
The initiative comes as Japan’s Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2026, approved by the cabinet in July 2026, calls for coordinated efforts on preventive healthcare, disease prevention including obesity, early detection, early intervention, and support for behavioral change.
Novo Nordisk, founded in Denmark in 1923, operates in 80 countries and sells products in about 170 countries. Its Japanese unit was established in 1980.