Value Village ／ Health
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Whether to skip breakfast, and whether intermittent fasting is healthy, is debated in every country. In Japan, the "breakfast-skipping rate" is an item in the national health survey and has been tracked for many years. Here is what the statistics show and how people in Japan think about it.
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast-skipping rate (men in their 20s) | About 30% | National Health and Nutrition Survey (2023) |
| Breakfast-skipping rate (women in their 20s) | About 20% | Same |
| Breakfast-skipping rate (men, all ages) | About 15% | Same |
| Related Health Japan 21 (third term) target | Fewer people skipping breakfast (younger generations) | MHLW |
The survey definition of "skipping" includes eating nothing, eating only sweets or fruit, and taking only tablets or supplements.
[Verify] Check the skipping rates by age group in the latest year of the National Health and Nutrition Survey. The figures are approximate.
It depends on your own daily rhythm and how much you ate the night before. The national target of "fewer people skipping breakfast" exists because skipping tends to go together with a night-owl lifestyle, late dinners and disrupted habits.
Skipping breakfast is generally described as making lunch and dinner portions grow, so there is no assurance that total intake falls. Body weight is decided by the day's total.
Even a banana, a yoghurt or a bowl of miso soup counts. Eating something in the morning is generally described as playing a part in resetting the body clock (the Sleep Guide 2023 mentions morning light and regular breakfast times).
A breakfast of sugar alone is generally described as making you hungrier during the morning. The standard practice among people living in Japan is to add a little protein (egg, tofu, dairy).
The National Assessment of Academic Ability (全国学力・学習状況調査) by the Ministry of Education (MEXT) consistently shows that pupils who eat breakfast every day tend to score higher. This is a correlation, not proof of cause, but it is one reason the government keeps running its "Early to bed, early to rise, and eat breakfast" (早寝早起き朝ごはん) campaign.
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https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_47433.html
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/kenkou_iryou/kenkou/kenkounippon21_00006.html
https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shougai/asagohan/
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
This article is not meant to diagnose or manage any specific medical condition. If you are worried about your health, see a doctor rather than relying on your own judgement.
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