Dietary salt intake in Japan - past, present, and future

Salt reduction is the most important lifestyle modification, especially in Japanese individuals who still consume a significant amount of salt. The Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese 2020, issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, propose a salt intake goal of <7.5 g/day for men and <6.5 g/day for women. Regarding the goal of salt reduction in hypertensive patients, the hypertension guideline by the Japanese Society of Hypertension 2019 (JSH2019) proposes a goal of <6 g/day. Although the average salt intake in Japan gradually decreased in the early 2000s, the declining trend has not been seen in recent years, and thus, it seems difficult to achieve these target salt intake levels. To overcome this challenge, the JSH announced the ‘JSH Tokyo Declaration’ and pledged to create a specific action plan to achieve the target salt intake level of <6 g/day. The six strategies to achieve the target salt intake level are as follows: (1) educating citizens on the harms of excessive salt intake and the importance of reducing salt intake; (2) recommending the assessment of the salt intake of individuals or populations and proposing adequate methods to reduce salt intake; (3) promoting salt reduction for children as a part of dietary education at school; (4) promoting salt reduction in takeout food, prepared dishes, canteens, and school lunches; (5) encouraging companies to develop and promote low-salt foods; and (6) encouraging the government to take measures to promote salt reduction. Through these activities, a society with a low salt intake will be expected in the near future.