Legendary Japanese physician Shigeaki Hinohara, an advocate of healthy aging, has died at the age of 105.

He died of respiratory failure at his home on Tuesday morning.

Born in 1911 in Yamaguchi Prefecture, western Japan, Hinohara started his career as a physician in 1941.

As part of his efforts to prevent lifestyle-related diseases, he introduced comprehensive medical checkups in 1954 at the leading Tokyo hospital where he worked. It was the first private medical institution to provide this service.

He called for a society in which elderly people could play an active role. In 2001, he published the book "Living Long, Living Good," which has sold more than a million copies.

Still practicing as physician even after turning 100, Hinohara expanded his activities into many other arenas. He wrote the draft script of a musical for children based on an American picture book, "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf."

Source: ANNnewsCH