Japanese life expectancy increases further

Friday 01st August, 04:22 AM JST

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westurn at 01:09 AM JST - 2nd August

"There are many old Japanese people in the provinces of Japan, from 80years-90years still living"

Actually glowingstar, the United States has the worlds largest concentration of centenerians, people over 100 years old !
Crimsonsil at 02:04 PM JST - 2nd August

westurn, you can't forget that they could be the oddballs (not that I'm very happy about that being an american myself)
GlowingStar at 07:40 PM JST - 2nd August

Whatever
westurn at 11:56 AM JST - 3rd August

Crimsonsil..."westurn, you can't forget that they could be the oddballs"

Hmm... Highlightes from the CIA fact book and wikipedia:

On Centenarians (those living to be 100 years old)

-The United States currently has the greatest number of centenarians in the world, numbering over 55,000 in the year 2005.

-The U.S. number is partly a function of America's increased emphasis on long-term care facilities.

-Japan is second, with 30,000. Many experts attribute this (and Japan's very high life expectancy) to the Japanese diet, which is particularly low in fats.

-However, relatively (per capita) higher number of Americans make it to 100 than do Japanese. In addition, five times as many Okinawans live to be 100 than the rest of Japan.

-The Island of Barbados however has the second-highest occurrence of centenarians in the world.

The numbers indicate that it is Okinawans that lift Japans life expectancy numbers. Odd considering the okinawan diet is high in spam and greasy pork products !!!
cleo at 12:22 PM JST - 3rd August

westurn -

It would be good if you could provide some backup to those claims. According to the prestigious Fox News, Japan has a nationwide average of 22 centenarians per 100,000, while the ratio for the US is about 10 in 100,000.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,214060,00.html
westurn at 12:40 PM JST - 3rd August

Cleo... I've quoted my sources. Funny you would be quoting Fox news (?)

In other news... currently the worlds oldest living person is Edna Parker of the USA 115 years 105 days.. and counting ! And of the worlds current top 20 oldest people in the world... 1/2 are Americans !!! And Cleo... non are reported vegetarians ! Ouch... that had to sting !
cleo at 05:20 PM JST - 3rd August

westurn -

A search of the CIA fact book for 'centenarian' turns up - nothing.

According to wiki, as of 2007 Japan had 32,295 centenarians. With a total population of 127 million, that works out at a little over 25 per 100,000.

According to wiki, the USA had over 55,000 centenarians as of 2005, when the total population was a little under 300 million. That works out at a little less than 19 per 100,000.

Yet wiki also says relatively (per capita) higher number of Americans make it to 100 than do Japanese. The maths doesn't add up.

Never take wiki at face value, especially when it says at the top of the article, This article needs additional citations for verification.

None of the world's top 20 oldies are reported vegetarians? Well isn't that a bummer. If none of them love dogs and keep tropical fish either, I'm scuppered.

:-)
TheCode at 10:28 PM JST - 3rd August
This is the best site for life expectancy statistics:

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/
1. Japan 82 years
2. Singapore 81.8 years
3. Sweden 80.6 years
4. Australia 80.6 years
5. Switzerland 80.6 years
6. France 80.6 years
7. Iceland 80.4 years
8. Canada 80.3 years
9. Italy 79.9 years
10. Israel 79.8 years
11. United States 78 years (woo hoo! I'll be able to live at least
  another 40 more years) But then again, I now live in Japan, so maybe I'll be able to live longer? Or maybe it's (82+78)/2 = 80?
westurn at 10:49 PM JST - 3rd August

Cleo, you got that right !

"The maths doesn't add up."

Just look at how Japan's, so called, oldest living person Shigechiyo Izumi conned people, especially guinness, into believing he was 120 years old when in reality he was no more than 105 ! The title of worlds oldest living male should go to the American Christian Mortenson ! Japan's numbers can never be trusted due to poor record keeping and fudgery ! just ask the locals where their pensions went... they'll know what I'm talking about.
imagawa at 11:11 PM JST - 3rd August

Wow! Once we had the arms race, the space race & now we have the wrinkly race. Though I have to admit that I am surprised at Shigechiyo Izumi, you would think at 105 he would no longer be that interested in playing games like this, then again at that age he might well be into his second or third childhood so who knows.

Big question, having seen some of the oldest people on TV, do you really want to reach that stage of old age? Do you want to need some one to feed you & wipe away the dribbles (at both ends)?
rajakumar at 11:54 PM JST - 3rd August

Good for japan people.
cleo at 01:12 AM JST - 4th August

westurn -

Pray tell, what 'anti-American sentiment' do you find in the scant six lines of this article that causes you to jump into 'Merkka rah rah rah' mode? America isn't even mentioned. Centenarians aren't mentioned. All it says is that Japanese people are living longer. Why does that upset you so?

Grandad Mortensen, by the way, claimed in 1973 at the age of 91 that he was Danish. He emigrated to America at the age of 21.

Moderator: Stay on topic please.
blaze524 at 09:12 AM JST - 4th August

Imagawa: With the way technology is progressing, and barring some catastrophic event that wipes out humanity, I would think that in 50 years the life expectancy for citizens of developed nations would easily top 100. Not only that, the centenarians 50 years from now would be much healthier and a whole lot more mobile than the centenarians as of 2008.
Xentrix at 10:24 PM JST - 4th August

There are many long lived People around the world. centenarians are many especially in America and Japan. Would you believe that there are decadenarians too. 5,000-12,000years old or more as long as you remember your past travel life? I am one of them. Just joking...
Zurg at 11:59 PM JST - 4th August

Alright ! ! Move over China. Japan is eechee-ban.