Report: Japanese live longest healthy lives...06/05/00

GENEVA - The Japanese have the best prospects for long and active lives, while Americans lag behind because of miserable standards among the U.S. poor - who fare worse than many Africans, the World Health Organization said Sunday. Japanese can expect 74.5 years of healthy life, according to a WHO study that measures ''disability-adjusted'' life expectancy, subtracting years according to the prevalence and severity of various ailments. Australia, at 73.2 years, came second, followed by France, Sweden, Spain and Italy. The United States, which spends the most on health, rated only 24th, with an expectancy of 70 years