Life expectancy in Japan (17th – first half of the 20th centuries)

Life expectancy is the most important indicator of the state of society and the quality of life of the people who live in it. It depends on many factors that affect mortality: nutrition, physical activity, epidemic and other diseases, natural, social and anthropogenic disasters, the level of public anxiety, the state of the environment, healthcare, hygiene, etc.In Japan during the Tokugawa period, the body did not belong to the person himself. His mission was to “serve” – to the overlord and parents. This was possible only if the person was healthy for as long as possible. During the Tokugawa era, the Japanese were taught that only a healthy person could fulfill his duty. Healthcare was entrusted to the person himself, there was no public health system. Despite the huge differences in natural conditions, lifestyle, nutritional diet, scientific and medical ideas, in terms of life expectancy, Japan was approximately on the same level as major European countries.After the Meiji revolution, the concept of “service” did not disappear, but now the main object of service became the state represented by the emperor. The state made serious efforts in the field of healthcare, but the negative consequences of modernization for a long time did not allow to increase life expectancy. Its slow but steady growth begins only in the second half of the 1920s. However, before the Second World War, Japan lagged significantly behind the developed countries of the West in terms of life expectancy. The expansionist policy of Japan demanded to increase the number of Japanese people. Since increasing life expectancy is a time-consuming task, the choice was made in favor of a policy of increasing the birth rate.