By MASAHIRO TAKAHASHI/ Staff Writer
July 7, 2024 at 15:45 JST
The Yamagata prefectural assembly votes for an ordinance to promote health through laughter on July 5. (Masahiro Takahashi)
YAMAGATA--It’s no joke. An ordinance that encourages residents to break out in a happy laugh everyday passed the prefectural assembly here although some members were not amused, citing human rights.
The ordinance, which was sponsored by the Liberal Democratic Party, calls on prefectural residents to “try to promote physical and psychological health through laughter, such as by laughing at least once a day.”
It also asks business operators to “develop a workplace environment filled with laughter.”
The ordinance was approved by a majority vote on July 5, the last day of an ordinary session.
It was based on a study by Yamagata University’s Faculty of Medicine that found people who laugh frequently have a lower risk of an early death.
The assembly designated the eighth of each month as “the day for prefectural residents to promote health through laughter.”
The LDP holds a majority of seats in the prefectural assembly
Kensei Club, a group of assembly members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and others, as well as Japanese Communist Party assembly members found nothing to laugh about and voted against the ordinance.
“The human rights of those who have difficulties laughing due to illness or other reasons must not be undermined,” Satoru Ishiguro of Kensei Club told the plenary session on July 5.
“To laugh or not to laugh is one of the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Constitution regarding freedom of thought and creed as well as an inner freedom,” Toru Seki of the JCP said.
In response, Kaori Ito of the LDP said: “The ordinance does not force people to laugh. It also emphasizes the respect for an individual’s personal decision.”
The ordinance is believed to be the first of its kind adopted at a prefectural assembly, according to the secretariat of the Yamagata prefectural assembly.
Hokkaido has designated Aug. 8 as the “day of laughter” for its residents, while Osaka Prefecture has implemented programs to promote health through laughter.
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