The phrase “laugh a day keeps the doctor away” would be suitable for the Yamagata prefecture of Japan, where the lawmakers passed a law mandating citizens to smile at least once per day for the purpose of their health.
An law was passed last week in the Yamagata province in northern Japan based on research from the Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine, which found that laughter may lower the risk of heart disease.
The opposition lawmakers from parties including the Japanese Communist Party (JCP ) raised concerns about a violation of human rights for those who may have trouble laughing due to illness or injury, according to The Strait Times.
According to a state assemblyman, the government should take into account how residents might not be laughing because of lower wages, rising living costs, and fragile employment.
On July 1 a group called the Yamagata Administrative Check Volunteer Association ( AMAG ) launched a petition asking for the removal of the laughing law.
The seventh day of each month was designated as a “laughing time” for residents to “promote wellness through laughter,” according to Yamagata’s provincial assembly.
The law also mandated that businesses “develop a office environment filled with laughter,” and designated the seventh of every quarter as a “day of laughing,” according to the Daily Mail. The ordinance also requires the office or office to have a normal chuckle.
