Japanese Women Extend Life Expectancy To New High

TOKYO — Japanese women are expected to live almost 86 1/2 years, topping the world longevity ratings for the 25th straight year, the government reported Monday.

The statistics for 2009 compiled and published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed both Japanese women and men extended their average life expectancy to new records – 86.44 years for women and 79.59 years for men. Average life spans rose by almost five months for women and nearly four months for men compared to the previous year.

Japanese men, however, saw their average life expectancy slip to fifth from fourth in the world ranking, according to a ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.

Long life is usually good news. But in a country with a low birth rate and declining population, longer life expectancies mean a disproportionately large elderly population. The graying of society is expected in the near future to strain government services and pension programs, while causing labor shortages.

The steady increase in Japan's longevity largely reflects good medical treatment that reduced the mortality from cancer, cardiac disorders and strokes – the three main causes of death in Japan – as well as pneumonia, the ministry official said. Health officials often cite Japan's relatively healthy diet and high living standards as contributing to growing longevity.

But an increasing number of suicides among elderly men dealt a slight setback for male longevity, he said. Suicide, crime and alcoholism among the elderly have become growing problems because of low income and unstable employment.

Women in Hong Kong came in second in the world's longevity ranking at 86.1 years. France was third, at 84.5, followed by Switzerland at 84.4 years. Qatar topped the men's ranking at 81 years, followed by Hong Kong at 79.8 years, with Iceland and Switzerland sharing the third spot at 79.7 years.

Comments

[mssreader]

01:40 PM on 07/29/2010

Mari, thanks for this great article. I personally love Japanese food even though I don't eat meat or fish but lots of brown rice and veggies. My only complaint about Japanese food is their use of white rice and I'm always surprised to see it served at Japanese restaurants. I love the rolls that are so popular over here now and have to admit that even though it's deep fried, I still love veggie tempura. I still have the first Japanese cookbook I bought in 1963 and actually served a dish from the book for Paul Newman's brother and wife with raves.Now one can buy low sodium soy sauce and I love tofu. I sent both my children away to college with a wok and a rice steamer and they knew well how to use both.
It would be nice and save many doctor visits if people adapted more of the Japanese diet.

[Javida]

02:00 PM on 07/28/2010

The Japanese get plenty of Omega 3 fatty acids in all that sushi and sashemi they eat. Also, they do not eat or drink all the sugar-based products Americans consume, such as candies, desserts and sodas or eat the flour-based products we eat in America, such as bread, cereal, pancakes, waffles, pastries, pretzels, etc. Their diet is mostly small portions of fish, chicken, beef and vegetables, miso soup and usually a demitasse of tea w/o sugar for beverage.

[mssreader]

01:45 PM on 07/29/2010

Javida, great post! It is indeed all those sugar based products, or pseudo sugar and white flour products that mess up our bodies and produce fat. The Japanese diet is so plain and simple that it would be easy for Americans to cook at home quickly enough with a wok ,great stir fries, and brown rice instead of prepared foods and be much the healthier for it. I'm so glad to hear that a great many of my friends are taking up green tea though unfortunately they miss the real flavor by using tea bags instead of getting it in bulk and trying the various teas of which their are many.
faved and fanned for your great response.

[Absolon]

01:10 PM on 07/27/2010

I'm tellin' ya, it's the antioxidents in the green tea! It's also why old Japanese women retain their looks and lovliness.

[mssreader]

01:51 PM on 07/29/2010

Absolon, have you tried any of the white teas? I've just discovered them and having a taste treat. They aren't cheap though I buy them in bulk like I do my green teas where they are much fresher and the taste is divine indeed! The white teas are even higher in anti-oxidants and lower in caffeine. White and green teas are so satisfying and really good for us.I also find that green and white tea reduce your craving for food or in my case, I only want a piece of fruit after tea and I take the time to relax and savor the time with my tea. I've reduced my coffee intake to just a small cup in the morning.
fanned and faved.