Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Appoints Lively Health Ambassadors

The appointment ceremony for the "Vibrant Health Ambassadors," who will cooperate with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's health promotion campaign activities such as health creation and improving health checkup rates, was held on September 17 at the Minister's Office in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo.

The three individuals appointed were: Yuichiro Miura, the oldest person to summit Mount Everest; Olympic marathon medalist Yuko Arimori; and singer-songwriter Ayaka Hirahara.

Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Tamura, who presented the appointment certificates, stated that extending healthy life expectancy is a critical challenge moving forward. "We want to advance a major health-building campaign with the support of these three individuals, who diligently manage their health daily. We declare 2013 the first year of prevention," he said in his address.