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.

    体重超标的日本地方政府官员经过三个月的“武士餐”减肥，终于成功瘦身。

    日本西部的伊势市市长及六名政府官员组成了一个“新陈代谢七武士团”（得名于黑泽明的电影《七武士》），共同应对所谓的“代谢综合症”，其具体表现为腹部肥胖、高血压和高胆固醇等。

    伊势市公共卫生署女发言人称，这一计划实施过程中发生了出人意料的不幸。据有关报道，今年8月，“七武士”中一位47岁的官员在慢跑时死于心力衰竭。

    不过其他人仍坚持完成了这一健康饮食与锻炼相结合的减肥计划。

    这项计划于上周四结束，森下隆夫市长减掉了5.6公斤（12磅），腰围降至85厘米（33英寸），比之前小了5厘米。此外，还有至少两名官员“武士餐”减肥成功，其他人的减肥结果目前尚未公布。

    森下隆夫市长在展示其减肥成果的座谈会上说，“有一段时间相当艰难，不过我最终还是达到了自己的目标。我希望以后能保证体重不反弹。”

    日本人的健康意识向来很强，“代谢综合症”已成为日本的一个新名词。据2005年日本政府的一项调查显示，近三成的日本成年男性体重超标。

    今年年初，日本卫生省的两名男性官员撰写博客，记录他们的减肥历程。与此同时，专为正在减肥的中年男性设计的紧身内裤和“健身手机”也出现在日本市场上。