The average Japanese male and female are about 10.16 centimeters (four inches) shorter than their average American counterparts.

Over the years, the average Japanese has been getting taller and heavier. The average 14 year-old Japanese male in 1975 was about 162 cm (about 5'2"). In 1992 the average height for a 14 year-old Japanese male was 165 cm (roughly 5'3"). The average height of a 14 year-old Japanese girl grew from 155 cm to 156.6 cm over the same period. This trend continues through the age of 21, and seems to indicate that the population is generally getting taller and heavier.

This increase has been observed in most industrialized countries, and has been attributed to greater world-wide awareness of nutrition and health.

Japan, like most of the world, uses the metric system.