Twenty-five percent of Japanese people watch five or more hours of television a day. We advise that they get up and walk around once an hour, or massage their calves.

Actually, I was joking about Pokemon Go...

From the down votes, it looks like some people thought I was being serious?!

Five hours of (mostly) garbage TV. Step outside and play PokemonGo instead.

I'm curious about how they did the study. There might be a generation gap. My parents and their generation seem to come home, turn on the tv, and just leave it on passively for hours. I asked my father and my father-in-law about this and they said the same thing: for people their age, raised on tv, the house feels too quiet without the tv on.

My husband and I would never do that, though. We're always on our computers, and most of my colleagues in their 20s-30s spend more time with their phones than tv. I would guess kids are glued to their phones constantly rather than tv too.

Surely the danger to mental health is much greater.

Television is religion here.

We advise that they get up and walk around once an hour, or massage their calves.

..... or download Pokemon Go.

If it was up to me my house would be totally TV-free. Sadly, my J-wife still thinks it is one of life's essentials.

My advice to these people is you are watching way too much TV. get a real life.

Get rid of the TV! You won't miss it! The programmes are largely mindless crap and it cuts communication in the house.

Is that >5 hours "actively" watching? Or is the TV just on, droning away in the background, making them feel less alone?

Perhaps it is because of that NHK has changed its news coverage from economics news to weather reports and world news.

That and to lessen the risk of going brain-dead at the same time.