I have to wonder how much of that height difference is due to diet. I have heard food in Japan is crazy expensive. Not that you know offhand, but out of curiosity, what's a pound of chicken leg quarters, pork shoulder and chuck steak cost in Japan? I have heard rice is $1.50 a lb or about triple what we pay stateside.
Since the dishes here are different , meats are generally cut / sliced differently than in the USA . There is not meat sold with bones still attached for example . No leg quarters or pork shoulder . Despite the recent rise of the US dollar - to around 94 yen to a dollar - it’s still in the toilet compared to years ago , so there is no point quoting prices at current exchange rates . Chicken is very reasonably prices , some cuts cheaper than in the US . Much of the pork we buy is from the USA , therefore inexpensive . Beef is high , but not that much higher than the USA unless you buy Japanese beef .