Wednesday, August 26, 2026 | Edition 192 | Item #3

Because life expectancy keeps climbing too. This week, the government released 2025 life expectancy numbers: the average life expectancy of men reached 81.35 years, up 0.25 years from the previous year, while women hit 87.33 years, an increase of 0.2 years. And if you make it to 65 in Japan, which the vast majority of people do, you have a long runway in front of you: 20.3 more years for men, 25.1 for women.

For a super aged society like Japan, it is a lucky thing that ageism is relatively modest.  In a study of over 4,000 Japanese adults aged 65 or older released this month, only 7.8% reported any perceived ageism. But for those who reported perceived ageism, the costs were high, as ageism was associated with adverse mental, cognitive, and functional outcomes over a 3-year period. Specifically, ageism was correlated with a 77% higher reporting of dementia, 42% higher risk of functional disability, as well as higher rates of depression, and lower rates of happiness.