Overweight local government officials in Japan have slimmed down with a three-month "samurai" diet.

    The mayor of the city of Ise in west Japan and six officials joined forces as the "Seven Metabolic Samurai," after Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" movie, to fight the so-called metabolic syndrome -- excess belly fat, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.

    The program took an unexpected and unfortunate turn when one of the samurai, a 47-year-old city official, died in August from heart failure while he was jogging, a spokeswoman for Ise's public health department said, confirming earlier news reports.

    But the remaining samurai continued with the plan, which involved eating healthy food and exercising.

    When the program ended Thursday, Mayor Takao Morishita had shed 5.6 kg (12 pounds) and trimmed his waistline by 5 cm to 85 cm (33 inches). At least two other officials also succeeded with the diet, while the city is waiting to hear results from the others.

    "There was a time when things were rough, but I was able to reach my goals," the mayor said on a panel that showed his diet results. "I want to make sure that my weight won't bounce back."

    Metabolic syndrome has become the new buzzword in health-conscious Japan, where nearly 30 percent of Japanese adult males are overweight, according to a government survey from 2005.

    Two male officials in the health ministry kept blogs earlier this year to show their efforts in combating the syndrome, while tummy-tightening briefs and "fitness phones" targeting fat-fighting middle-aged men have come on the market.

    體重超標的日本地方政府官員經過三個月的“武士餐”減肥，終于成功瘦身。

    日本西部的伊勢市市長及六名政府官員組成了一個“新陳代謝七武士團”（得名于黑澤明的電影《七武士》），共同應對所謂的“代謝綜合癥”，其具體表現為腹部肥胖、高血壓和高膽固醇等。

    伊勢市公共衛生署女發言人稱，這一計劃實施過程中發生了出人意料的不幸。據有關報道，今年8月，“七武士”中一位47歲的官員在慢跑時死于心力衰竭。

    不過其他人仍堅持完成了這一健康飲食與鍛煉相結合的減肥計劃。

    這項計劃于上周四結束，森下隆夫市長減掉了5.6公斤（12磅），腰圍降至85厘米（33英寸），比之前小了5厘米。此外，還有至少兩名官員“武士餐”減肥成功，其他人的減肥結果目前尚未公布。

    森下隆夫市長在展示其減肥成果的座談會上說，“有一段時間相當艱難，不過我最終還是達到了自己的目標。我希望以后能保證體重不反彈。”

    日本人的健康意識向來很強，“代謝綜合癥”已成為日本的一個新名詞。據2005年日本政府的一項調查顯示，近三成的日本成年男性體重超標。

    今年年初，日本衛生省的兩名男性官員撰寫博客，記錄他們的減肥歷程。與此同時，專為正在減肥的中年男性設計的緊身內褲和“健身手機”也出現在日本市場上。