What Japan’s super-aged society can teach the world about ageing well
Japan has one of the world’s oldest populations, yet many of its elderly citizens show no sign of slowing down. Mieko Nagaoka took up swimming in her 80s while recovering from a knee injury suffered during Noh theatre practice. By 100 she had published a book titled “I’m 100 years old and the world’s best active swimmer” and set her first world record over 1,500m. At 105, she still holds 18 world records and competed in Masters events before retiring in September 2019 after her final race in Fukuoka, leaving the pool to applause even after failing to set a new mark. Her son Hiroyuki told Japanese newspaper The Asahi Shimbun, “We have had blissful happiness swimming together until this age. There must be no other examples like us in the world.”
Sprinter Hidekichi Miyazaki, nicknamed “Golden Bolt” after Usain Bolt, set a 100m world record for the 105-and-over category before his death in 2019 at age 108. Even then he remained characteristically demanding of himself, saying simply, “I’m not happy with the time.” Alpinist Yuichiro Miura, now 86, skied down Everest in his 40s wearing a parachute to slow his descent — a feat later captured in an Oscar-winning documentary — and became the oldest person to summit Everest at 70, a record he then broke twice more at 75 and 80. A 2019 attempt on South America’s Aconcagua was halted on doctor’s orders over altitude-related heart risks, though Miura says he still hopes to climb Everest again at 90.
A nation ageing faster than most
These standout cases reflect a broader demographic shift. United Nations data projects the global population aged 80 and over will nearly triple by 2050, from 143 million to 426 million. Japan has already crossed into “super-aged” territory, with more than 28% of its population now 65 or older. Former Bank of Japan governor Masaaki Shirakawa has argued that addressing this shift requires new social structures rather than purely economic fixes.
Much of the resilience seen among Japan’s elderly is tied to the cultural concept of meiwaku, or the fear of becoming a burden on others — instilled from childhood and reinforced throughout life. Rather than retreating from society, many older Japanese people push to remain active and self-sufficient for as long as possible: government figures show roughly 70% of people in their 60s and about half of those over 70 are still working, volunteering, or engaged in community and hobby activities, a trend supported by many companies extending retirement ages.
Keio University researcher Yuko Oguma links this activity to cognitive benefits. “Light exercise, whether stretching, walking daily, working out at the local community center, is effective,” she says, noting that Japanese seniors today are healthier than a decade ago thanks to improved medical understanding. She adds that community support networks, often organised by older residents themselves, play an underappreciated role: “It is this proactiveness that strengthens them.”
Joy as much as discipline
Not every example involves athletic feats. Kimiko Nishimoto, a 90-year-old photographer with over 220,000 Instagram followers, built a following through playful self-portraits that poke fun at ageing — and has admitted to drinking bourbon and smoking daily, undercutting any simple narrative about diet alone explaining Japan’s longevity. If anything, her example suggests that humour, curiosity and connection matter just as much as healthy habits in growing old well.
Source: BBC News