Survey Finds that Just 22% of Japanese Want to Live to 100

Japan has one of the longest life expectancy rates in the world and according to the basic resident registration data, as of September 1, 2022, there were 90,526 centenarians. The time when people regularly live to 100 is moving closer to becoming a reality. However, a nationwide survey of 1,000 people conducted by the Japan Hospice Palliative Care Foundation found that only 22.0% wish to live to become a centenarian, with 27.6% of men and 16.5% of women saying they want to live to 100 or longer.

At 68.2%, the most common reason for respondents wanting to live past 100 was that they “want to enjoy life for as long as possible,” followed by 38.6% who “want to see children and grandchildren maturing and growing up.” On the other hand, the main reason given by 59.0% for not wanting to live that long was because they “don’t want to cause problems for others,” along with 48.2% who said “it will be hard physically,” and 36.7% who had “financial concerns.”

When respondents were asked if they would rather pass on before their spouse or partner, if they could choose, more than 60% of men across all age groups said they would. For men in their fifties and older, this percentage rose to around 80%. In comparison, more women wanted to pass on after their spouse or partner, and this was particularly the case for those aged in their fifties and over.

Of those who did want to die earlier, the majority at 58.6% said it was because they would not be able to cope with the grief of losing their partner. In contrast, 53.6% of those who wanted to pass on after stated they were “concerned about how their spouse or partner would cope without them” and a further 48.1% said they “wanted to take care of their partners in their final stage of life.”

The nationwide survey, held online in September 2022, targeted 1,000 respondents aged 20 to 79.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)