Factor: Life expectancy

Question: Why did Japan have a huge drop in life expectancy from 1940-1945? 

Japan’s life expectancy had been growing until 1918, the first drop. In 1917, the life expectancy was 41.2. A year later in 1918, life expectancy dropped to 32.8. The reason for the two sudden drops in Japan is war. In November 1918, the first world war ended in Japan’s defeat. This lead to many deaths including soldiers. After the first war japan participated in the second world war and allied with Germany in 1939. Every young man was taken as a soldier for the army. Children, women, and elderlies were left home with almost no food. Planes from the American army flew over the night sky in Tokyo dropping bombs. Since the Japanese houses were made from wood back then, the whole city was on fire. 100 thousand lives were lost in Tokyo from air raids. In addition to that, the nuclear bombs were dropped onto Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The war continued in Japan for 6 years until August 15, 1945. After the great defeat, Japan recovered itself with help from the American armies. In 2019, Japan’s life expectancy is higher than ever at 84.5 years. This is the second-highest in the world. However, new issues have come up such as aging, and declining birth rates. It is extremely difficult to maintain a “balance” of life and society.