ABSTRACT
Since the end of World War II, Japanese life expectancy has consistently increased, and Japan has become one of the longest living societies in the world. As a matter of fact, Japanese life expectancy at birth has been among the top in the world for more than a quarter of a century. Considering that the figure was the shortest among contemporary developed countries in 1950s, such a dramatic shift is truly an admirable achievement. This extension of the life expectancy in Japan during the late 20th century mainly stems from improvement in living standards and medical progress. Another important factor in Japanese longevity is most likely that the social security system had been functioning in a successful fashion.
