This study aims to investigate the age trajectory of mental health among middle-aged and older adults in Japan and its determinants, using microdata from the 17 waves of the “Longitudinal Survey of Middle-aged and Elderly Persons” conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The mental health of middle-aged and senior adults deteriorates with age, and a significant portion of this is explained by factors such as worsening self-rated health, problems with activities of daily living, and withdrawal from activities involving social participation. The degree of this mediating effect is more pronounced among women. Policy interventions that promote health and support social participation activities are expected to mitigate the deterioration of mental health among middle-aged and older adults.

In this study, we conduct a preparatory analysis aimed at facilitating empirical research that utilizes prewar Japan’s medical directories. First, we assess the comprehensiveness and representativeness of the physician listings in the Nihon Kyōrin Yōran published in 1909 (Meiji 42) and the Nihon Isekiroku published in 1942 (Shōwa 17), respectively. We then utilize the biographical information in these directories to visualize the geographical mobility of physicians before WWII. We find that the Nihon Kyōrin Yōran is highly comprehensive, whereas the Nihon Isekiroku exhibits a certain degree of comprehensiveness regarding private practitioners yet displays biases across regions and medical qualifications. Our analysis further reveals that physicians in the Meiji period had a high rate of practicing in their home prefectures, whereas those in the Shōwa period showed a greater mobility.

This column succinctly explores the impact of a husband’s retirement on his wife’s mental health. It draws on findings from prior studies and the author’s own research. The phenomenon known as “retired husband syndrome” is evident in governmental data from Japan, although it varies according to the wife’s lifestyle.

This essay is a brief introduction to Hodaka Morita and Maroš Servátka (2013) “Group Identity and Relation-Specific Investment: An Experimental Investigation,”European Economic Review, Vol. 58, pp. 95–109, along with the background of how Morita and Servátka came together to work on this study.