Correction: Japanese People Are NOT Healthier Because Vaccines Are Not Mandatory In Japan

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Japanese people have a higher life expectancy because of their caution towards vaccines. This is inaccurate. Japanese people are among the most vaccinated on the planet.

As noted by AFP Fact Check, Japan has some of the highest immunization rates in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore the claim in the original article that “anti-vaccine” Japan has a healthier population than other countries because of this is false. Also, it should be noted that Japanese law on vaccines stipulates that all citizens “must endeavour to undergo a routine vaccination” against “category A diseases,” such as measles, mumps, rubeola, tetanus, etc. 

We have therefore updated the headline of this article and retracted the original story.