Japan Eyes Higher Healthy Life Expectancy Through Increased Social Participation, as Centenarians Number Nearly 100,000

By Yuina Takada and Chihiro Miura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

14:16 JST, September 13, 2025

The number of centenarians in Japan has climbed to nearly 100,000, and the government is bolstering its support for health promotion and social participation among seniors.

Beyond mere longevity, there is a growing focus on healthy life expectancy, defined as the period during which a person can live their daily life without needing long-term care.

“Squeeze your inner thighs and stretch your legs out,” a physical therapist instructed, during an exercise class for seniors held on Wednesday at the Higashiura town cultural center in Aichi Prefecture. Participants aged 65 and older enthusiastically moved their bodies under the therapist’s guidance.

Amid growing recognition of the need to prevent the physical and mental decline associated with aging, the Higashiura municipal government has been offering classes of this kind since 2018 to help residents maintain healthy, care-free lives.

The classes are expected to build muscle, reduce the risk of falls and improve mobility. They have proved so popular that they attract 150 participants, significantly exceeding the initial capacity of 100.

“I want to keep up this exercise habit and live to be 100,” a 92-year-old male participant said with a smile.

‘2-for-1 benefit’

The average life expectancy for Japanese women was 87.13 years in 2024, ranking first in the world for the 40th consecutive year.

However, in addition to longevity, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry is putting its emphasis on extending healthy life expectancy.

Japan’s healthy life expectancy in 2022 was 72.57 years for men and 75.45 years for women. This represented a respective increase of 0.43 years and 0.66 years compared to 2016 figures and the gap with average life expectancy had narrowed.

Local governments are also advancing initiatives to extend healthy life expectancy. Hachirogata in Akita Prefecture from April began offering “chewy dishes” developed in collaboration with a local university at a diner once a month, with the aim of preventing oral frailty.

Arakawa Ward in Tokyo will introduce next month its own subsidy for the purchase of “silver passes,” which allow Tokyo residents aged 70 and over to use public transport at a fixed rate. This is intended to encourage seniors to go out more.

Central and local governments’ focus on efforts to extend healthy life expectancy is being driven by the ever-increasing burden of social security costs. “If more people are healthy and do not require medical care or long-term care, it will lead to a reduction in social security costs, providing a two-for-one benefit of both promoting public health and reducing expenses,” said a senior official at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

Barrier-free infrastructure

Barrier-free infrastructure is essential to promote outings and social participation among the elderly, but regional disparities in implementation are noticeable.

According to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, step-free access at major railway stations has progressed through the installation of elevators. The development rate for stations above a certain size reached 93.9% nationwide as of the end of fiscal 2023.

However, in some areas such as Nagasaki Prefecture, rates are in the 50% range.

Katsuya Iijima, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Gerontology who specializes in geriatric medicine, pointed out the importance of seniors actively engaging in their own activities. “Each local government needs to support the proactive activities of the elderly by assisting them in going out and providing opportunities for physical activity,” he said.