Japan’s Longest Average Life Span Prefecture, Interacts with Brazil through“Radio-taiso”

 On August 16, Shiga Prefecture participated online in the Japan Festival in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. The festival was held in RS, Shiga’s sister state, with the theme of health and longevity.

 Proud of its excellent health record, Shiga Prefecture live streamed, as an event relevant to the festival theme, Radio-taiso gymnastic exercises, one of Japan’s habits for good health.

 Having signed a sister state agreement in 1980, Shiga Prefecture and RS last year celebrated the 40th anniversary of their twinning relationship.

 The Japan Festival in RS is, as its name indicates, designed to introduce various aspects of Japanese culture and has been held annually since 2012 under the auspices of a local Japanese organization.

 Last year, the festival was scheduled to feature Shiga Prefecture; however, the plan was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, staging the Shiga Prefecture-themed festival will be postponed until the ongoing pandemic has been resolved.

 Remaining subject to the impact of the pandemic, this year’s festival was held online with health and longevity as its theme, with Shiga Prefecture participating as a sister state of RS and as one of Japan’s top prefectures in terms of healthy life expectancy.

 Japan is known as one of the world’s longest-lived countries, and Shiga Prefecture ranks among the highest in the country in terms of healthy life expectancy.

 According to the latest statistics (The 2015 Life Table by Prefecture, released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), Shiga ranked first among the country’s 47 prefectures in average life span for men at 81.78 and fourth for women at 87.57 years.

 Also, in terms of healthy life expectancy, an indicator that measures the average number of years a person can expect to live a healthy and independent life, Shiga Prefecture is second in Japan for men at 80.39 years and third for women at 84.44 years.

 Key factors contributing to Shiga citizens’ healthy longevity are seen as (1) a healthy lifestyle adopted by many and (2) a favorable living environment that underpins the healthy lifestyle.

 Looking at the following data associated with these two factors, Shiga is indeed placed as one of the top prefectures in the country.

(1) 　Healthy lifestyles adopted by many Shiga citizens

- 　Fewer cigarette smokers: Ranks first in the nation (for men)

- 　Fewer heavy alcohol drinkers: Ranks fourth in the nation (for men)

- 　More sportspersons: Ranks second in the nation for men and sixth for women

- 　More people engaging in learning/self-development activities: Ranks fifth in the nation for men and sixth for women

- 　More people engaging in volunteer work: Ranks second in the nation for men and fourth for women

(2)　Favorable living environments underpinning healthy lifestyles

-　Fewer unemployed: Ranks second in the nation

-　Shorter working hours: Ranks ninth in the nation

-　More books available for checking out at libraries: Ranks second in the nation

-　Lower Gini coefficient (income inequality): Ranks second in the nation

 Lying behind Shiga joining the ranks of prefectures with the country’s highest healthy life expectancy is its history of being committed to promoting health in partnership with various entities, not just the prefectural and municipal governments alone.

 As part of such efforts, we have volunteer organizations called “health advocates,” who support local communities in establishing healthy lifestyles and activities. They work at the grassroots level to promote health through proper diet, physical exercise, and other practices.

 Also, in pursuing initiatives to reduce the smoking rate, Shiga has started early to provide smoking prevention education in all schools in the prefecture, from elementary to high school level. As a result, compared to ten years ago, the smoking rate has declined, with this trend being remarkable among the younger generations in particular.

 Another example of Shiga’s health promotion efforts is Shiga Larcadia (named after lake plus arcadia) University in 1978. To build a society of longevity where the elderly can stay healthy and energetic, the university serves as a venue for citizens aged sixty or older to learn about gardening, regional culture, and health promotion.

 This multifaceted approach and satisfactory results in extending the citizens’ average life span and healthy life expectancy have been recognized, bringing Shiga an increasing number of observation groups from the central and other prefectural governments.

 As is the case throughout the country, Shiga has been experiencing an aging population, which requires the prefecture to address various accompanying issues, such as growth in medical spending.

 Against this backdrop, the prefecture strives to extend healthy life expectancy further and narrow the gap between that and the average life span, thereby aiming to build a society that allows its citizens to live a long life healthily and independently.

 To this end, it is vital for diverse entities, not only local governments but also citizens, companies, universities, and community groups, to join forces in the effort. Therefore, consisting of these entities as its members, the Healthy Shiga Co-creation Council was formed. The members work together in building up the Healthy Shiga initiative by sharing ideas and forging collaborative relationships.

 More recently, given the importance of encouraging people from all generations to be interested in health promotion, we mounted the Healthytrip Shiga campaign. Through this campaign, designed to introduce health-oriented spots, food, and activities offered in Shiga, we bring public attention to promoting health with enjoyment.

[Healthytrip Shiga Campaign website]

https://www.kenkou-shiga.jp/tourism_plan

Shiga Prefecture is located near the middle of Japan. Surrounded by mountains, the prefecture is home to Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest lake, which is located in the middle of the prefecture and accounts for about one-sixth of the total area.