Table 1. Open in new tab Publicly...

Title (years)	Design	Contents and comparability	Notes
National Survey of the Japanese Elderly (1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2012)	Longitudinal panel design with refresh samples (60+ years). Nationally representative samples.	Demographics, social integration, health, subjective well-being and mental health status, financial status, memory. Partially comparable in content to the U.S. Americans’ Changing Lives, and the National Health Interview Survey, Supplement on Aging, and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Strong in psychosocial aspects of aging.	Micro data publicly available via www.icpsr.umich.edu. Currently, the first four waves of data are publicly available. The first four waves of date are also available (for a fee) on Data Archive of Social Research on Aging Web site http://www.socio.com/agingdata.php. PIs: Liang, J., Maeda, D., Shibata, H., & Akiyama, H. Funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA), Japan Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging (1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009)	Longitudinal panel design with refresh samples in 2001 and 2003. Nationally representative samples of noninstitutionalized adults aged 65+ years at Wave I.	Health and functioning, mental health, health behavior, demographic and family characteristics, income, health care and long-term care service utilization, intergenerational exchange, and norms and values relevant to aging. Comparable in content to the U.S. Longitudinal Study of Aging II (LSOAII) and the AHEAD sample of the HRS. Strong in health, family, and inclusion of long-term care items.	Micro data available for free by submitting applications to Nihon University. Currently, the first two waves of data are publicly available. PI: Saito, Y. Funded by Nihon University and MEXT, supplemented by the U.S. NIA for data distribution. http://www.nihon-u.ac.jp/affiliate/institute/information_networking/nujlsoa/index.html http://www.usc.edu/dept/gero/CBPH/nujlsoa/index.htm
Japanese Study of Aging and Retirement (2007, 2009, 2011)	Random sample of adults aged 50–75 years in five municipalities at Wave I. Expanded to include seven municipalities in 2009.	Economic, social, and health conditions. Comparable to HRS in the United States, the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe in continental Europe, and the English Longitudinal Study of Aging in the United Kingdom. Strong in economic and social security policy–related items and linkages with municipal official records of medical and long-term care.	Micro data available for researchers who belong to universities and/or research institutes (subject to approval by the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry). Currently, the first wave of data are publicly available. PIs: Ichimura, H., Hashimoto, H., & Shimizutani, S. Funded by RIETI, MEXT, and MHLW. http://www.rieti.go.jp/en/projects/jstar/index.html

Title (years)

Design

Contents and comparability

Notes

National Survey of the Japanese Elderly (1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2012)

Longitudinal panel design with refresh samples (60+ years). Nationally representative samples.

Demographics, social integration, health, subjective well-being and mental health status, financial status, memory. Partially comparable in content to the U.S. Americans’ Changing Lives, and the National Health Interview Survey, Supplement on Aging, and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Strong in psychosocial aspects of aging.

Micro data publicly available via www.icpsr.umich.edu. Currently, the first four waves of data are publicly available. The first four waves of date are also available (for a fee) on Data Archive of Social Research on Aging Web site http://www.socio.com/agingdata.php.
PIs: Liang, J., Maeda, D., Shibata, H., & Akiyama, H.
Funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA), Japan Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging (1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009)

Longitudinal panel design with refresh samples in 2001 and 2003. Nationally representative samples of noninstitutionalized adults aged 65+ years at Wave I.

Health and functioning, mental health, health behavior, demographic and family characteristics, income, health care and long-term care service utilization, intergenerational exchange, and norms and values relevant to aging.
Comparable in content to the U.S. Longitudinal Study of Aging II (LSOAII) and the AHEAD sample of the HRS.
Strong in health, family, and inclusion of long-term care items.

Micro data available for free by submitting applications to Nihon University. Currently, the first two waves of data are publicly available.
PI: Saito, Y.
Funded by Nihon University and MEXT, supplemented by the U.S. NIA for data distribution.
http://www.nihon-u.ac.jp/affiliate/institute/information_networking/nujlsoa/index.html
http://www.usc.edu/dept/gero/CBPH/nujlsoa/index.htm

Japanese Study of Aging and Retirement (2007, 2009, 2011)

Random sample of adults aged 50–75 years in five municipalities at Wave I. Expanded to include seven municipalities in 2009.

Economic, social, and health conditions. Comparable to HRS in the United States, the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe in continental Europe, and the English Longitudinal Study of Aging in the United Kingdom. Strong in economic and social security policy–related items and linkages with municipal official records of medical and long-term care.

Micro data available for researchers who belong to universities and/or research institutes (subject to approval by the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry). Currently, the first wave of data are publicly available.
PIs: Ichimura, H., Hashimoto, H., & Shimizutani, S.
Funded by RIETI, MEXT, and MHLW.
http://www.rieti.go.jp/en/projects/jstar/index.html

Title (years)	Design	Contents and comparability	Notes
National Survey of the Japanese Elderly (1987, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2012)	Longitudinal panel design with refresh samples (60+ years). Nationally representative samples.	Demographics, social integration, health, subjective well-being and mental health status, financial status, memory. Partially comparable in content to the U.S. Americans’ Changing Lives, and the National Health Interview Survey, Supplement on Aging, and the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Strong in psychosocial aspects of aging.	Micro data publicly available via www.icpsr.umich.edu. Currently, the first four waves of data are publicly available. The first four waves of date are also available (for a fee) on Data Archive of Social Research on Aging Web site http://www.socio.com/agingdata.php. PIs: Liang, J., Maeda, D., Shibata, H., & Akiyama, H. Funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA), Japan Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
Nihon University Japanese Longitudinal Study of Aging (1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2009)	Longitudinal panel design with refresh samples in 2001 and 2003. Nationally representative samples of noninstitutionalized adults aged 65+ years at Wave I.	Health and functioning, mental health, health behavior, demographic and family characteristics, income, health care and long-term care service utilization, intergenerational exchange, and norms and values relevant to aging. Comparable in content to the U.S. Longitudinal Study of Aging II (LSOAII) and the AHEAD sample of the HRS. Strong in health, family, and inclusion of long-term care items.	Micro data available for free by submitting applications to Nihon University. Currently, the first two waves of data are publicly available. PI: Saito, Y. Funded by Nihon University and MEXT, supplemented by the U.S. NIA for data distribution. http://www.nihon-u.ac.jp/affiliate/institute/information_networking/nujlsoa/index.html http://www.usc.edu/dept/gero/CBPH/nujlsoa/index.htm
Japanese Study of Aging and Retirement (2007, 2009, 2011)	Random sample of adults aged 50–75 years in five municipalities at Wave I. Expanded to include seven municipalities in 2009.	Economic, social, and health conditions. Comparable to HRS in the United States, the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe in continental Europe, and the English Longitudinal Study of Aging in the United Kingdom. Strong in economic and social security policy–related items and linkages with municipal official records of medical and long-term care.	Micro data available for researchers who belong to universities and/or research institutes (subject to approval by the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry). Currently, the first wave of data are publicly available. PIs: Ichimura, H., Hashimoto, H., & Shimizutani, S. Funded by RIETI, MEXT, and MHLW. http://www.rieti.go.jp/en/projects/jstar/index.html