The Quest for Happiness in Japan

Japan is a fortunate country. What better measure is there to support this assertion than declining mortality and growing life expectancy?! The Japanese do not die during the first precarious months after birth, enjoying as they do the lowest infant mortality on earth. They do not die on the battlefield because their constitution prevents them from going to war. Thanks to social bonds and neighbourhoods that are relatively intact, they do not die of street crime. Violence, though hardly unknown, is not a major cause of death. They don’t kill themselves eating too much junk food or drinking too much alcohol. Fatal traffic accidents have been declining steadily....