In 1950 there were 97 Japanese centenarians. At the end of September last year there were 92,000, 81,600 of them women. Last year 47,000 Japanese received a congratulatory letter from the prime minister (the Japanese equivalent of a telegram from the King). In 2009, when the number surpassed 40,000, the government had to reduce the size of the silver sake cup given to people who turned 100 — the cost was becoming prohibitive.
Well, sorta and not so much. An article about those Japanese centenarians really should include those recent investgations that a considerable number are unreported corpses but the kiddies are still collecting the pension.
And yes, this is important. Because folk go around saying that eating cold rise is what makes you live long, but if they’re not living long then….
Maybe the figures in 1950 were somewhat affected by the B-29s of the 20th
air Force?
What’s great for the Japanese is almost every one of those 47,000 centenarians will have been able to read their letter. Because almost every one of them will be Japanese. And it’ll be the same in 100 years time. Don’t you envy the Japanese?
Anyone who has read “The Spirit Level” will know correlation and cause are pretty much the same thing so it’s worth pointing out that many Japanese (certainly of the generation that are reaching 100) are xenophobic and misogynistic. This must be why they live longer. If only we were more xenophobic and misogynistic, we might live longer too.
When spent six months in Japan over 40 years ago it seemed they all drank like fish and smoked like dragons. Vomit around the train stations and drunken businessmen being held up by two slightly less drunk friends was a common sight. Yet still they live to very old ages. If they cut back on the drinking and smoking they’d be immortal.
“a considerable number are unreported corpses…”
Ah, the Mediterranean diet.
drunken businessmen being held up by two slightly less drunk friends was a common sight
From my experience of the Japanese, that’ll be two single whiskies for the friends & three for the casualty. Their systems don’t seem to be very good at processing alcohol. Or looking at it another way, excellent & cheap to run.
Most Japanese don’t seem to have a huge tolerance for alcohol, but that doesn’t stop them trying. However, Koreans can really soak it up. I’ve had a night out on the piss with Koreans and they piled into beer, soju (generally in the beer) and scotch and were still going when I made my excuses and left in the early hours.
TD @12.23: “If they cut back on the drinking and smoking they’d be immortal”.
Genuine LOL.
Marius,
I was taken out for a night on the town with the Japanese boss in Tokyo who spoke English well , sang Elvis flawlessly and once his most Junior underlings weren’t around he did indeed drink like a fish. So much so when all the others were asleep or had left he drunkenly admitted to me he wasn’t really Japanese, but Korean – came over on a baseball scholarship when young and never looked back. Made me promise not to tell anyone. (sorry Hoshino-san)
East Asians often lack the ability to metabolise alcohol (see also: Red Injuns*) so get drunk on less and stay drunk longer. They also (tend to) lack our mutation that allows us to process lactose after weaning, so not much in the way of dairy products.
* a local in Prince George (BC) once told me to watch out for Indians on a Friday night: “It’s easy to trip over one in the gutter”.