[Did childhood asthma deaths in Japan really decrease in recent years?]. 
Changing pattern of asthma mortality rate for 100,000 population and number of asthma deaths between 0 to 19 years old since 1950 to 1999 was analyzed by the statistics of the Japan Ministry of Health and Welfare.  Asthma mortality rate by the age group of 0-4 years old decreased almost smoothly after 1950 years and they were man 9.6, woman 8.2 for 1950 years, and almost became the smallest with the man 0.5, the woman 0.2 in 1999.  The asthma mortality rates by age groups of 5-19 years old have decreased rapidly since 1997, though it increased, especially in men, in the 1960's and between 1980 middle and 1996.  As for the asthma mortality in 1999, was 0.1, in the age group of 5-9 years old, 0.1, in 10-14 years old and 0.4, in 15-19 years old.  The childhood asthma death of the Japanese decreases in spite of the increase in the recent prevalence rate with the asthma.