Laughter is no joke in one region of Japan where citizens are required by law to laugh at least once a day for the sake of their health.
The ordinance, passed last Friday in the northern prefecture of Yamagata, was inspired by research from a local university that found regular laughter can reduce the risk of heart disease and help people live longer.
In addition to requiring people to laugh daily, the law also requires companies to “develop a work environment filled with laughter” and designates the eighth day of every month as “laughter day.”
It was proposed and approved by members of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party, but opposition ministers criticised the law, saying it violates the “fundamental human right” to remain serious.
Yamagata University found that those who laughed at least once a week were less likely to develop cardiovascular problems than those who laughed less than once a month.
Opposition ministers argued that requiring people to laugh at least once a day could violate their “fundamental human right” to keep a straight face.
Toru Seki of the rival Communist Party of Japan said: “To laugh or not to laugh is one of the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution regarding freedom of thought and belief as well as inner freedom.”
Others argued that the law discriminates against those who cannot laugh because of disabilities. Satoru Ishiguro of the Prefectural Political Club, a coalition of parties, said: “The human rights of those who have difficulty laughing due to illness or other reasons should not be undermined.”
Constitutional expert Shigeru Minamino of Kyushu University urged politicians to stop being “ridiculous.”
“It’s none of your business,” he fumed. “I think it’s good to laugh at least once a day, but that depends on my personal opinions and values. It’s not something that can be ordered or recommended by a prefectural assembly.”
The Yamagata University Laughter Study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology in 2019, found that those who laughed at least once a week were less likely to develop cardiovascular problems than those who laughed less than once a month.
Researchers studied 17,152 people aged 40 or younger. Participants filled out a questionnaire recording how often they laughed, and their health was tracked over several years.
The researchers noted: “We defined ‘laughing out loud’ as laughter; consequently, silent laughter and smiling were not counted as laughter.”
They concluded: “Our findings suggest that increasing laughter frequency could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and increase longevity.”
August 8 has been designated as “laughter day” in Hokkaido Prefecture, because 8/8 in Japanese sounds like “haha.”