Fear over eating disorder care in Japan

Most people suffering with eating disorders in Japan are not receiving any medical or psychological support, according to doctors.

The Japan Society for Eating Disorders claims the health system is failing hundreds of thousands of sufferers.

It also says the pressure on girls, in particular, to be thin has "gone too far".

The government says it's trying to set up more services and has tried to discover the extent of the problem.

"I hated being chubby when I was a kid," says Motoko - who is using a different name to hide her identity.

"The other kids bullied me so I always wanted to change."

Motoko was 16 years old when her eating disorder started. She would severely limit how much she ate and then started exercising excessively.

By the time she was 19, Motoko was dangerously underweight. She says her parents didn't know how to help her.

"They were negative about my illness," she says. "When I tried to see my doctor, they told me not to.

"My mother felt responsible, perhaps my father blamed her too."

Fear of 'wasting food'

Motoko's story is a familiar one. Stigma around eating disorders - for both sufferers and their families - prevent many people from coming forward.

"They see actions such as binging on food and then vomiting (bulimia) as shameful," says clinical psychiatrist Dr Aya Nishizono-Maher, a member of The Japan Society for Eating Disorders.

"They feel they have to hide it. Parents may think they are wasting food so that might stop them seeking help."

After more than 10 years, Motoko finally started getting the help she needed and she now attends one of the few eating disorder community support groups which receives money from the government.

She is now married and has a young son and says her life is much better since she started treatment.

But her experience as a teenager was very different.

"The school nurse saw me when I was so thin (but there still wasn't any help). Maybe it's something you cannot do anything about, but I wish I could have got the help I needed sooner."