Japanese Women Bring Life Expectancy to New High

Japanese women are now expected to live up to 86.44 years old, marking a new record in longevity, said the government.
Japanese Women Bring Life Expectancy to New High
Japanese Women in traditional Kimonos in Tokyo Japan. Japanese women's life span rose by nearly five months, reaching 86.44 years old. Yoshikazu Tsuno/Getty Images
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<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/japan84168810_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/japan84168810_medium.jpg" alt="Japanese Women in traditional Kimonos in Tokyo Japan. Japanese women's life span rose by nearly five months, reaching 86.44 years old. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/Getty Images)" title="Japanese Women in traditional Kimonos in Tokyo Japan. Japanese women's life span rose by nearly five months, reaching 86.44 years old. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-109713"/></a>
Japanese Women in traditional Kimonos in Tokyo Japan. Japanese women's life span rose by nearly five months, reaching 86.44 years old. (Yoshikazu Tsuno/Getty Images)
Japanese women are now expected to live up to 86.44 years old, marking a new record in longevity, the government announced Monday.

Both Japanese women and men extended their average life expectancy. Women’s life span rose by nearly five months, while that of men increased by almost four months, reaching 79.59 years old.

The average life expectancy of Japanese women has topped world’s longevity ranking for 25 consecutive years. Men’s life expectancy dropped from fourth to fifth position in the past year.

With good medical treatment, healthy diets, and high living standards in Japan, the country’s longevity continues to increase as mortality from cancer, cardiac disorders, strokes, and pneumonia decrease, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare reported.

Although longevity is usually good news, the extended life expectancies signal a growing elderly population. An aging population is expected to strain government services, pension programs and cause labor shortages.