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Objectives: Heterogeneity in successful aging has been found across countries. Yet, comparable evidence is sparse except in North America and Europe. Extending prior research, this study examined the prevalence and correlates of successful aging in East Asia: China, Korea, and Japan., Method: We used harmonized data sets from national surveys. A total of 6,479 participants (aged between 65 and 75) were analyzed. Using Rowe and Kahn's (1987, 1997) model, successful aging was defined as having no major diseases, no difficulty performing activities of daily living, obtaining a median or higher score on tests of cognitive function, and being actively engaged., Results: The average prevalence of successful agers was 17.6%. There were variations in the global and specific measures of successful aging within and across countries, even after controlling for individual sociodemographic factors (age, gender, and education). The odds of aging successfully were highest in Japan and lowest in China, especially in the rural areas. Being younger and males were associated with a higher likelihood of successful agers in both global and specific measures., Discussion: This study observed heterogeneity in successful aging in East Asia. To identify policy implications, future research should explore potential societal factors influencing individuals' opportunities for successful aging., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Introduction: To determine the characteristics of Mycobacterium avium in Japan, we compared the genetic properties of M. avium isolated in different countries., Methods: A Mycobacterium avium tandem-repeat variable-number tandem-repeat (MATR-VNTR) analysis was performed using South Korean strains (n = 119) and Japanese strains (n = 76). In addition, we compared the frequencies of a new insertion sequence, ISMav6., Results: A phylogenetic analysis identified different clusters between the two countries' strains. The prevalence of ISMav6 was significantly different between them, i.e., 75.0% in Japanese strains and 59.8% in the Korean ones (P < 0.035). The frequency of strains with IS Mav6 in the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence of the cfp29 gene that is involved in the interferon-gamma induction was also different, with stronger significance (Japan: 38.2%, Korea: 12.4%, P < 0.001)., Discussion: It is possible that M. avium strains prevalent in Japan and in Korea are genetically distinct. The analyses of the presence of ISMav6, as well as the VNTR patterns of M.avium strains from many different countries would be a promising methodology in elucidating the causes of the recent increase in cases of pulmonary MAC diseases.