As if looming unemployment were not enough to cause sleepless nights for legions of the country's businessmen, they are now falling victim to an unfortunate side effect of work-related stress.
Ichiro Saito, a professor of dentistry at Tsurumi University, said that he has witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of people experiencing "dry mouth" syndrome and he believes that as many as 30 million of his countrymen are now afflicted.
According to Prof Saito, humans secrete around 1.5 litres of saliva every day, a response that is controlled by the nervous system. Stress - brought on by an irate boss or a missed deadline - affects the nervous system and inhibits the secretion of saliva, meaning that less naturally occurring "mouthwash" is available.
A dry mouth is a dirty mouth and one that quickly develops an unpleasant odour, Prof Saito said.
The complaint is exacerbated by the ageing process and the side effects of medicines, as well as the individual's diet.
In a recent book on the complaint, Prof Saito suggested that people chew gum and carry a bottle of water to keep the mouth lubricated. He also suggests that food be chewed thoroughly and, in these testing economic times, that teeth be brushed more frequently.
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