Japanese women have a life expectancy of 85.59 years, setting the world record for the 20th straight year, the government said Friday. Girls born in Japan in 2004 can expect to live 0.26 year longer than those born in 2003, while Japanese male life expectancy was 78.64 years and placed second only to Icelandic men, who live an average of 78.8 years, the Health Ministry said in a statement.Japanese women have had the world’s longest life expectancy since 1985.Researchers say Japan’s traditional fish-based, lowfat diet may be the secret to longevity.
