While “oshi-katsu” (activities supporting one’s favorites) has been reported to increase positive emotions among younger generations, its prevalence and impact on the feeling that life is worth living among elderly people have not been sufficiently examined. This study aimed to clarify the relation between oshi-katsu and the feeling that life is worth among elderly people by conducting an online survey targeting seniors nationwide. Responses from two groups were analyzed: those engaged in oshi-katsu (n=480) and those not engaged (n=500). The results indicated that although the perceived positive impact of oshi-katsu on social aspects such as interpersonal relationships and social activities was limited, more than two-thirds of participants reported positive effects on psychological aspects, including feelings of fulfillment and happiness. Furthermore, scores for “feeling that life is worth living” and its subscales, including “desire for self-realization,” “sense of life fulfillment” and “will to live” were significantly higher in the oshi-katsu group compared to the non-participating group. These findings suggest that oshi-katsu among elderly people may contribute to enhanced awareness of fulfillment and an increased feeling that life is worth living.

With the recent widespread use of social networking services (SNS), non-face-to-face communication has become increasingly common among younger generations, including university students. This study aimed to clarify the relation between university students’ face-to-face and non-face-to-face interactions and their subjective well-being. An online survey was conducted targeting university students nationwide, and the responses were analyzed based on three categories of interaction partners: close friends at the same university (n=340), classmates at the same university (n=347) and friends outside the university (n=353). The results indicated that both face-to-face communication and text-based non-face-to-face communication were primarily used with close friends and classmates at the same university, as well as with friends outside the university. Subjective well-being tended to be higher among students who interacted more frequently and tended to be lower lower among those who interacted less frequently. This relation was consistent for both face-to-face and text-based non-face-to-face communication. These findings suggest that text-based non-face-to-face communication may contribute to subjective well-being in a manner similar to face-to-face communication.

We examined the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its related factors to support the health of Mine City residents. We enrolled 1,871 subjects, consisting of 1,186 men and 685 women, aged 20 to 92 years. Inclusion criteria were those who underwent health checkups at Mine City Hospital and answered a lifestyle questionnaire. The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome among the subjects was 14.7%. Significantly more men than women were classified as having metabolic syndrome or being at risk for metabolic syndrome across all age groups （youth, middle age, and elderly）. Moreover, particularly high rates were observed among middle-aged and elderly men. Blood pressure was significantly higher in men than women during youth and middle age, showing an upward trend with increasing age. Fasting blood glucose was significantly higher in men than women across all age groups and showed an upward trend with increasing age. LDL cholesterol was significantly higher in men than women in the youth age group. LDL cholesterol increased with age in women, whereas no significant differences were observed among age groups in men. HDL cholesterol was significantly lower in men than women across all age groups, showing an increasing trend with advancing age. The proportion of individuals not meeting national physical activity guidelines was high among men in middle age and among women in youth and middle age. No sex difference was observed in sedentary time; however, it was shorter in the elderly compared with the youth and middle-aged age groups in both men and women. Scores for dietary behaviors associated with obesity risk decreased with increasing age in both men and women, with a sex difference observed only in the elderly age group. These findings provide useful guidance for health support aimed at preventing and managing metabolic syndrome in the general population.

This article aims to analyze the basis organization of Hotokukai and its regular meetings. Hotokukai was established by Hanada Nakanosuke, and this association has spread throughout of the country. Hotokukai held monthly meetings on the basis of detailed manuals; decisions were also made on a monthly basis. Basis organizations sent reports of monthly meetings to head offices and printed magazines. The author introduced a regular meeting held by the organization in Osaka as example.