The Japan Society for Eating Disorders (JSED) said people who eat too much or too little get no help. The JSED said many people are ill because they are overweight or underweight. The JSED president said: "Hundreds of thousands of people are suffering in silence. There are very few services available to help people." He said many people are very ill by the time they get to a hospital. He added that: "Sometimes they are even close to death."

Japan's Ministry of Health did not know how many people suffer from eating disorders. It said many women were too embarrassed to see a doctor or say they had a problem. The government is trying to give more information about eating disorders. It also wants to start support systems so people who are ill can get help sooner. In 2014, only 10,000 people in Japan got treatment for eating disorders. In the U.K., 725,000 people got help.