The number of obese junior high and high school students aged 12 to 17 has declined slightly this year, according to an education ministry survey.
The ratio of obese elementary school students also fell, except for 10-year-olds, the ministry said. In general, obesity among elementary school and junior high school students has steadily declined after peaking around fiscal 2002.
The survey was conducted on about 4 million schoolchildren aged 5 to 17.
The students with the highest obesity rate are 15-year-olds, at 11.5 percent, followed by 12-year-olds at 10.9 percent, 17-year-olds at 10.5 percent and 14-year-olds at 9.3 percent, the survey found.
Among elementary schools and kindergartens, obesity has risen as the children get older, with 11-year-olds leading the way at 10.5 percent, followed by 6-year-olds at 4.6 percent and 5-year-olds at 2.8 percent, according to the survey.
"It is probably because schools have begun to prioritize nutritional guidance, as well as an increasing awareness by households about eating properly," the education ministry said of the overall decline.