The first line jumps out at me. Supposedly, in an interview, a 25 year old Japanese woman named "Hachiko" says:
In Japanese there are no words for “I’m suffering” or “I’m sad”. I can’t share my feelings with anyone. Needing help is seen as failure, something to be ashamed of.
Maybe needing help is seen as failure, but I can think of a few ways to say "I'm suffering" or "I'm sad". Just off the top of my head:
So I'm wondering, is this just a reporter's ham-fisted attempt to inflate the human drama by painting a picture of a cruel and uncaring Japanese culture that exacerbates eating disorders?
Or is there any logical justification at all for claiming that the nuances of the Japanese language don't accurately convey the suffering someone with an eating disorder might feel?