The primary cause of death was pneumonia througuout the Meiji period, then it changed to tuberculosis (TB). From the latter 1950s deaths from TB greatly decreased and the causes of death in Japan shifted significantly from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases. Since 1958, malignant neoplasms, heart disease and cerebral vascular disease have formed the three major causes of death, and currently account for approximately 60% of all deaths. Under these circumstances, measures to prevent noncommunicable diseases are stressed. Amid the ongoing population aging, efforts are taken “to prolong the healthy life expectancy” so that people can live their life longer without activity limitation.