Obesity isn’t just an American problem. We often think that we are the sole carrier of the torch, but it’s a global problem. Mexico, Argentina, Egypt, and Greece are only a few countries that have overweight rates (a BMI greater than or equal to 25) nearing the 70 percent mark, according to the World Health Organization.

Japan isn’t just “the Land of the Rising Sun”… but health care costs as well. The country is taking extreme measures to curtail expenses. The thing that is confusing is they are near the bottom of any list I see ranking overweight countries (by BMI). They are 163rd on the World Health Organization’s list of overweight (22 percent of the population).

Nevertheless, Japan’s health care costs have ballooned by 68 percent between 1989 and 2006, to $370 billion a year. Without doing a thorough analysis of everything that may be causing this increase in cost, maybe 1 in 5 people being overweight is enough for government officials to take action.

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SHANGHAI — China pledged to expand medical insurance and build thousands of hospitals and clinics over three years, the first steps in a 10-year plan to repair an ailing health-care system that has fueled popular discontent.

On Tuesday, the State Council, China’s cabinet, offered details on the $120-billion-plus initial phase of the revamp, which it outlined in January. Among the plans: a construction surge that by 2011 will give every village a medical clinic and every county at least one hospital.

The government and ruling Communist Party are trumpeting the blueprint with a major public-relations push, signaling the political importance of rebuilding a social safety net that was largely dismantled during the country’s shift to a market economy over the past 30 years.