COMPLETION REPORT
Study on the Well-Being of Japanese Retirees in Malaysia
Dr. JEFFREY LAWRENCE D’SILVA
Principal Researcher
Institute for Social Science Studies, UPM

The pioneer study on the well-being of Japanese retirees in Malaysia revealed that the well-being composite scoreof Japanese retirees stood at 56.3%. This figure showed that based on The Cantril Ladder Scale the Japanese retirees
in Malaysia are neither thriving nor suffering. This result further confirmed that the Japanese retirees are having amoderate life living in Malaysia and this contributed to the trend of Japanese to make Malaysia as their retirement
destination for the past years. Further investigation revealed that the factors that contributed enormously to thepositive well-being of these retirees were related to social relationships, spiritual and economic. On the other hand,much improvement is needed on the factors pertaining to health, political, and physical facilities that are available in
the host nation. Theoretically, this study confirms the fact that the measurement of holistic well-being can beaccounted for through the summative scores of both objective and subjective well-being dimensions. The outcomeof the study further confirmed the fact that these retirees are experiencing a moderate level of well-being and more
efforts should be taken to bring them to the level of thriving. It is evident from the findings that to boost the holistic
well-being of Japanese retirees in Malaysia, the various Japanese organizations in Malaysia could help to enhance
the skills of these retirees via get-together sessions. Since the Malaysian politics was facing some problems lately,
the study confirmed the fact that the Japanese retirees are concerned about the political situation in Malaysia as theyperceive as unstable. Besides, it is prevalent that the Japanese retirees living in Malaysia are very much dependableon the sound public transportation facilities in Malaysia. Undeniably, the Japanese retirees felt that the public
transportation in Malaysia could be further improved to ease their mobility from one area to another. The study also
reconfirmed that further studies on well-being should focus to enhance the health status of Japanese retirees inMalaysia. The study revealed that 63.7% of these Japanese retirees slightly agreed that they have a good health statusin accordance with their age. As these Japanese retirees grow older and living in foreign soil, the study reconfirmedthat the knowledge and practice regarding health among Japanese retirees living in Malaysia needed further studies.
Despite some limitations in the study, the findings provide some insights for policy-makers and other interested
organizations to take proactive measures that will further enhance the holistic well-being of Japanese retirees residing
in Malaysia as well as boosting of longer-stay of international tourists in Malaysian soil.

Publication of the Results of Research Project:
Verbal Presentation (Date, Venue, Name of Conference, Title of Presentation, Presenter, etc.)

1. D’Silva, J.L. (2017). Well-being among Japanese Retirees in Malaysia: Initial Findings on
Subjective Well-being, Paper presented at IPSAS Research Findings Seminar on 24th August 2017,
Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia.
Presenter: Jeffrey Lawrence D’Silva
2. D’Silva, J.L. and Samah, A.A. (2017), Subjective Well-being of Japanese Retirees in Malaysia,
Paper presented at International Conference on Social Sciences Research on 4th December 2017,
Melia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Presenter: Jeffrey Lawrence D’Silva
Thesis (Name of Journal and its Date, Title and Author of Thesis, etc.)

1. D’Silva, J.L. and Samah, A.A. (2017). Measurement of holistic well-being among Japanese retirees
in Malaysia: A framework, International Journal of Development and Sustainability, Vol. 6 No. 7,
pp. 350-357.
2. D’Silva, J.L. and Samah, A.A. (2018).Holistic Well-being of Japanese Retirees in Malaysia,
Journal of International Studies. AcceptedBook (Publisher and Date of the Book, Title and Author of the Book, etc.)