The NUJLSOA is a longitudinal survey of a nationally representative sample of the population aged 65 and over in Japan. The first wave of data was collected in November 1999, the second in November 2001, and a third wave in November 2003. The first two waves of data are now available to the international research community. The sample is refreshed with younger members at each wave so it remains representative of the population at each wave. The study was designed primarily to investigate health status of the Japanese elderly and changes in health status over time. An additional aim is to investigate the impact of long-term care insurance system on the use of services by the Japanese elderly and to investigate the relationship between co-residence and the use of long term care. While the focus of the survey is health and health service utilization, other topics relevant to the aging experience are included such as intergenerational exchange, living arrangements, caregiving, and labor force participation.

The Japanese version of this project can be found on http://www.nihon-u.ac.jp/cin/nujlsoa/