It has inspired weight-watching Westerners, always on
the lookout for novel ways to drop a few kilograms, to turn to the
"Okinawa diet".
Rich in complex carbohydrates and plant-based foods, it puts our
"five-plus a day" goal to shame. The average citizen might eat seven
servings of vegetables daily, and an equal number of grains. Throw in a
bit of fruit, a sprinkling of tofu, a few chunks of fish and wash it
down with some green tea and voila, you have a recipe for longevity.
But Okinawa menfolk have been letting their prefecture down in the
life-expectancy stakes, lagging behind those from the much less tropical
Nagano.
Nagano men and Okinawa women top Japan's life expectancy charts. On
average, they can expect to live to about 80 and 87 respectively,
according to Japan's Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry.
Okinawa's menfolk do not even rate a mention on the ministry's
competitive top 10 list. A change in eating habits is one of the factors
blamed.
Geriatric psychiatrist Hideki Wada has another, somewhat unpalatable
explanation: "The [Okinawa] women live very long but the men have a life
expectancy that is lower than the national average. This is probably
attributable to the fact that Okinawa men work the least after they
become older.
"Women tend to do more of the housework at home. Even if they do not
have a job, they are probably working more in the home and living
longer."
A quarter of Nagano residents over the age of 70 work, he says, and the
prefecture has the lowest medical expenses for that age group.
"The more people work, the less medical expenses are necessary."
New Zealand may well worry about the challenges posed by its ageing
population, but its problem comes nowhere close to Japan, where
population statistics just keep on getting gloomier.
According to the 2006 census, about 12 per cent of Kiwis
are 65 or older.
In Japan, the proportion is more than 21 per cent.
Japan has a staggering 13 million "super-aged" people aged 75 and over –
about 10 per cent of its total population – and the number is only set to
grow.
Meanwhile, the number of Japanese under 15 has continued its downward trend,
dropping to a post-World War II low last year.
Despite this, most Japanese companies have clung to a mandatory retirement
age of 60. Dr Wada argues people can work well into their seventies.
"By working longer they are able to improve their health. Why hasn't the
government changed the retirement age?"
He points out that other countries have laws banning age discrimination in
the workplace. "It's puzzling to me that this topic is very seldom discussed
in Japan."
Japan will probably increase immigration if the number of working-age people
becomes too small to support the population.
"We should first give the elderly population the opportunity to work."
Dr Wada also believes Japan needs more hospitals dedicated to the holistic
treatment of the elderly. He is concerned about a shortage of geriatric
psychiatrists, particularly as depression rates soar. "Despite the fact that
there is such a demand for such treatment, there are very, very few
specialists in that field."
