InsideJapan News Network

People in Japan live longer and are less likely to fall victim to violent crime than in any other industrialised country in the world, it has been claimed.

The Office for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has released the results of its latest Your Better Life Index, which rates the world's 34 most developed countries.

In this study, Japan was found to have half the average level of violent crime, with just two per cent saying they had been assaulted in the past year, compared with the OECD average of four per cent.

Meanwhile, the research confirmed the widely held assumption that Japanese people live longer, as life expectancy in the Asian country is estimated at 82.7 years, higher than in any other OECD country.

However, the 'life satisfaction' index made for more depressing reading, with only 40 per cent of Japanese saying they are happy with their lives, well below the average level of 59 per cent.

Written by Kimberley Homer