Japanese women, men remain in top 3 spot in world life expectancy

Are these figures for Japanese citizens only or do they include others living in Japan?

Always good news to hear such things, the fiscal consequences in a graying nation be damned. That said, as someone with parents/step-parents/in laws in their 70s-80s, there is life expectancy (quantity) and there is quality of life. One of the 6 has horrible dementia and another has been bedridden for years, often wishing aloud that she were dead. I'd rather die young than wind up like either of them.

Are these figures for Japanese citizens only or do they include others living in Japan?

I doubt that those 2.3 million foreigners are included in the figures. The outcome would definitely be lower if that was the case :)

That said, as someone with parents/step-parents/in laws in their 70s-80s, there is life expectancy (quantity) and there is quality of life. One of the 6 has horrible dementia and another has been bedridden for years, often wishing aloud that she were dead. I'd rather die young than wind up like either of them.

Good point. There are also figures in my country about the number of years in good health after the pension date. Significant differences in years between wealthy / high educated and not that wealthy / lower educated.

Japan should enjoy the limelight while they can. The current generation of oldies are the post war boomers, most of which lived in the countryside with a relatively stress and pollution free environment. However, very few people live their lives in the countryside these days. They are living their lives in the stressful and polluted ‘fast-food society’ of the cities. It’s very unlikely this longevity will continue as the current generation ages.

Good news. It is amazing due to the amount of drinking and smoking that occurs in Japan. I think most of this has to do with the diet. To me other factors would seem to be the health care system (the single payer system which allows for check ups and diagnosis), the fact people do walk quite a bit (at least relative to the U.S.)

What's up with Hong Kong? I mean, it's a wonderful place but has one of the densest populations on earth and is certainly not stress-free.

"It’s very unlikely this longevity will continue as the current generation ages."

You may be right but I'd like to see data on this. God knows a large % of those currently in their 80s have spent most of their lives in Japanese cities (like the vast majority of all Japanese). It'd be good to see the statistical breakdown prefecture/city by p/c.

"I think most of this has to do with the diet. To me other factors would seem to be the health care system (the single payer system which allows for check ups and diagnosis), the fact people do walk quite a bit (at least relative to the U.S.)"

The walking most urban residents have to do here stands out to me. I can remember even when my mom was in her 30s or 40s that she'd drive up and down each row at the mall parking lot, looking for the closest possible space, thus reducing the number of steps she'd have to take. This has always played a significant role in her overall health, especially now decades later.

despite smoking more than most western nations....hmmmm

It's diet and exercise. In 2001 Britain's Channel 4 broadcast a series called 1940s House, in which a family lived in exactly the same way as a wartime family. The results were rather surprising:

https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2001/jan/14/life1.lifemagazine5

"At first sight, the typical 40s meal of tiny meat portions, mounds of potatoes, carrots, cabbage and bread, followed by a stodgy pudding, may not sound like the pathway to true health. Yet, at the start of the war, the average British diet, with its higher carbohydrate and lower fat content, was closer to modern recommendations than today's diet, explains Susan Jebb, head of the Medical Research Council's human nutrition research unit, who advised on the television series. When war brought food shortages and rationing, the diet improved further, as people relied more on carbohydrates while fats and sugar were severely restricted."

"There were other health advantages to the wartime diet, too. Although fruit was a rarity, there were free supplies of fruit juice, milk and vitamins for children. The standardised wartime national wholemeal loaf contained far more fibre than traditional white bread and was fortified with calcium, while vitamins A and D were added to margarine. At the same time, fair shares meant many poorer families ate a better diet than before. The difference in death rates between rich and poor reached its narrowest gap in the 20th century after the war, before widening to its current gulf."

"It was the best diet we have ever had in Britain,' declares Aubrey Sheiham, professor of dental public health at University College London. The government based rationing on sound nutritional principles, while equal shares ensured the benefits were enjoyed by all. After the war, there were dramatic reductions in diabetes and dental decay, which can both be linked to better diet, he points out."

There's also a strong correlation of diet and exercise in Blue Zone areas.

http://time.com/5160475/blue-zones-healthy-long-lives/

A lot of people focus on the Japanese diet as the reason for Japanese longevity but I think the amount of food they eat is also a big factor. Japanese just eat less than most and they look in good physical shape. Obesity in Japan is still remarkably low. I visited the UK earlier this year and was shocked to see how overweight and unhealthy looking us Brits are.

Also there is less alcohol consumption, particularly among women. Again compared with the UK women here drink much less, and generally have a much more active lifestyle. Couple this with a very good health care system, much greater equality than many countries (for now) a strong sense of community and clearly defined roles in society (rightly or wrongly) and you have a good recipe for a healthy community.

most of which lived in the countryside with a relatively stress and pollution free environment. However, very few people live their lives in the countryside these days. They are living their lives in the stressful and polluted ‘fast-food society’ of the cities. It’s very unlikely this longevity will continue as the current generation ages.

Not sure about that tbh. Rural lifestyle also means longer distances to health facilities, relative poverty for many, isolation & loneliness ( leading to depression, suicide) etc. My point is, countryside life isn't always rosy/healthy (not sure they drink/smoke less than in cities). Different type of stress.

There are lots of ways to lead a healthy lifestyle, in/outside cities. Look at HK, one of the most urbanized country/city in the world. They're doing ok.

I plan to live forever. So far so good.

This is may be changing somewhat, expensive vegetables and kids spending more time indoors certainly don't help, but is still something to be proud of. Conversely, the falling life expectancy of middle-aged white people in the US (https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/03/23/521083335/the-forces-driving-middle-aged-white-peoples-deaths-of-despair) is something that that country should be ashamed of.

I think it is the combination of a lot of factors. There is famously a far lower incidence of lung cancer among smokers in Japan, a mystery even to medical researchers, and this suggests that simple deterministic theories like smoking (with no other factors) must result in a certain rate of lung cancer must be wrong. The human mind and body are very complex.

People in Japan have drinkable water, not a given in hot countries, universal access to healthcare, a good diet with properly funded school meals, a relatively equitable, if worsening, income distribution, strong communities that combat loneliness and provide resilience against disasters, not bad air quality (as PM 2.5, a huge killer worldwide), and no access to firearms for people who flip out. Long may these continue.

@Dango bong - despite smoking more than most western nations....hmmmm

Wow! There is always one in every crowd? Do you have any evidence to support this? Can you be more specific about which 'western' nations you are referring to? You would be very surprised to learn Japan's percentage of smokers is about the same as other countries.

Life expectancy.

We all know what 8's represent in East Asia. Heisei 2018.

I am the 8th child, born on the 8th day of the 8th month, year 28. Year of the Dragon.

August 8th, I will be 90 years old and having a great time. Involved in our family businesses and as I jokingly tell my friends drinking whiskey and chasing women. What a great life it is- having fun and smelling the roses.

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” 

 **Marcus Aurelius**,

We are looking at the past 80 years. Baffling me is a megacity made it to the top 3.

There must be something healthy about the local medicine and eating habits.

Alas, a few years more and miss out on how many joys of life?

Try not to take any medicine unless absolutely necessary. Hospitals like to cut, there is money in it. Some times cutting creates more problems. Chemo is horrible, some people live longer without it.

Healthy food of good choices- with moderation. This is only my opinion. By the way I do love ice cream.

The walking most urban residents have to do here stands out to me. I can remember even when my mom was in her 30s or 40s that she'd drive up and down each row at the mall parking lot, looking for the closest possible space, thus reducing the number of steps she'd have to take. This has always played a significant role in her overall health, especially now decades later.

A problem in the West that despite the attention it gets in the media is on going.

Sitting is the new smoking I use to say and always take the stairs in stead of the escalator or read my paper in the subway or commuter train on my feet. I do that of course also abroad and meet in Tokyo elderly people taking the stairs despite the escalator next to it.

I guess you're walking a different path than your mom :)

August 8th, I will be 90 years old and having a great time. Involved in our family businesses and as I jokingly tell my friends drinking whiskey and chasing women. What a great life it is- having fun and smelling the roses.

Excellent message. Women, a drink and a stogie now and then helps :)

Congrats in advance.

@Ray Payne Thanks for the great advice, and keep enjoying that ice cream in moderation! I recommend vanilla and chocolate mixed together half&half, lol

You would be very surprised to learn Japan's percentage of smokers is about the same as other countries.

incorrect

35% of JApanese males smoke while 12% of US males smoke. not near the same

Not so fast Champ; the correct % is as follows:

Smoker percentage, both sexes

Japan Male Female

33.7% 10.6%

Total: 44.3% of Japanese people smoke

USA Male Female

19.5% 15%

Total: 34.5% of Americans smoke

So far, so good, as far as the US is concerned; however,

Deaths related

Japan Male Female

18.3% 4.88%

Total: 23.8% people die in Japan due to smoking

USA Male Female

19.27% 16.21%

Total: 35.48% people die in the US due to smoking

https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/consumption/