Japan is known for being one of the countries in the world where people live the longest. The country ranked number one in the world for both life expectancy and healthy life expectancy in 2019.
Life Expectancy at Birth and Healthy Life Expectancy at Birth, 2019[1]
| Life expectancy at birth (both sexes) | Healthy life expectancy at birth (both sexes) | |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | 84.3 | 74.1 |
| Switzerland | 83.4 | 72.5 |
| South Korea | 83.3 | 73.1 |
| Singapore | 83.2 | 73.6 |
| Italy | 83.0 | 71.9 |
| Norway | 82.6 | 71.4 |
| United Kingdom | 81.4 | 70.1 |
| United States of America | 78.5 | 66.1 |
Has Japan Always Had Such Longevity? - No.
During World War II and until the 1960s, Japanese people had shorter lifespans than those in many developed countries. Malnutrition and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis were the major reasons for their shorter life expectancy back then.
With improved economy and hygiene, and the introduction of antibiotics, however, these issues were largely resolved. Then, Japanese longevity skyrocketed, outpacing that of people in other developed countries.
Trends of Life Expectancy at Birth[2]
So what are the reasons behind their rapid increase in life expectancy? - Below are what I believe to be the top reasons, based on my research and experience of living in both Japan and the U.S.
Japan's health care system is widely accessible and affordable to the majority of people.