Chinese School - Japanese women, Icelandic men world's longest-lived

WORLD / Health

Japanese women, Icelandic men world's longest-lived

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-07-27 09:15

Tokyo - Japanese girls born last year can expect to live to an average
age of 85.8 years, making them the longest-lived in the world, according
to figures released by the government on Thursday.

Their male compatriots fare less well, with a life expectancy of 79
years, second to Icelandic men at 79.4 years, the Health Ministry said.

Japan's women have topped the world's longevity ranks for 22 years,
something researchers have attributed to their healthy diet and tight
social ties, among other factors.

Improved treatment of the ageing population's three biggest killers --
cancer, heart disease and stroke -- has helped push life expectancy to
record highs, a ministry official said.

After the Japanese, women in China's Taiwan are the world's second
longest-lived at 84.6 years, then Spanish and Swiss women at 83.9 years,
the report said.

The Guinness Book of World Records lists Japan's 114-year-old Yone
Minagawa and 111-year-old Tomoji Tanabe, as the world's oldest person and
oldest man, respectively.

But increasing life expectancy and a scarcity of babies in Japan have
fuelled concern about how the world's oldest society will fund its
pension requirements.

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