mjm

Fair comments in general. Yet there are two points that are not exactly accurate.

1. The society here is largely of east Sian descent. That fact makes like to like comparisons with a place like the US using the equation of life expectancy = health of the nation of no value. That is a very apples and pears comparison. If we were to rate the health of the nation against historical data for the same group of people it would make sense. In that regard Japan is getting healthier. But then again so is the US and most every place.

2. Public health is by no means applied equally across the nation. Rural vs. Urban, Eastern seaboard vs. central vs. Western. Huge differences exist.

I do see ubiquitous attention to food consumed yet that which is consumed differs so widely. I do see a non-sedentary lifestyle in most places, but Tokyo is a major exception. It is a conundrum for sure.

I am editing to add that I feel the US also is very involved with preventative measures, the problem as noted is that it is not applied equally at all. Nor is it lifestyle based as often as it could be but instead relies on pharmacology.

JamesBigglesworth

I am not American. I am from Australia, have worked as a doctor for 27 years, have worked in Japan on a medical exchange programme for 2 years, and worked in the US for the last ~10 years. I'm comfortable with my knowledge and experience of various medical systems and training around the world. You are simply mistaken in some of your claims.

armagebedar

Folks, this thread has gone far off topic from the original question raised by the OP, so I am closing it to further comments.

Regards,
armagebedar
Japan forum moderator