Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, who cautioned against gluttony and early retirement and vigorously championed annual medical checkups, climbing stairs regularly and just having fun — advice that helped make Japan the world leader in longevity — died on July 18 in Tokyo. Dutifully practicing the credo of physician heal thyself, he lived to 105.

When he died, Dr. Hinohara was chairman emeritus of St. Luke’s International University and honorary president of St. Luke’s International Hospital, both in Tokyo. The cause was respiratory failure, the hospital said.

“He is one of the persons who built the foundations of Japanese medicine,” said Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary.

Dr. Hinohara was born in 1911, when the average Japanese person was unlikely to survive past 40. He never wasted a day defying the odds.