The Bloomberg news agency on Monday placed Japan fifth in its ranking of the world's healthiest countries, measured by average life expectancy, cigarette smoking rates, mortality and other factors.
Singapore placed first, followed by Italy, Australia and Switzerland. The survey placed the United States 33rd, the lowest rank among developed countries. South Korea was in 29th place, with China placing 55th. Swaziland was last, in 145th place.
The survey examined such aspects of life as the percentage of drinkers, blood cholesterol values as well as air pollution levels, based on data released as of May by the United Nations, the World Health Organization and the World Bank.