Makoto Suzuki
Makoto Suzuki MD, PhD is a clinical cardiologist and geriatrician. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of the Ryukyus. From 1976 to 1999, he served as the Director of the Department of the Community Medical Service in the Ryukyu University Hospital and was the Chief Director of the Comprehensive Medicine Research Center at the University of the Ryukyus. In 2005, he retired from his position as Professor in the Department of Human Welfare at Okinawa International University. Currently, he directs the Okinawa Research Center for Longevity Science and is the Principle Investigator of the Okinawa Centenarian Study.
In 1976, Dr. Suzuki started the Living Centenarian Study supported by funding from the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. He has visited local residences, mostly homes, for nearly 1,000 centenarians and thousands of younger elders in their seventies, eighties, and nineties. He has clinically examined each individual directly with his own naked eyes.
Dr. Suzuki has over 300 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals and his total publications number over 700 including scientific manuscripts, conference proceedings, books such as “The Centenarians,” “The Centenarians Science,” “Japanese Centenarians,” and book chapters in an aging and health, especially centenarians research. In 1981, he organized the International 100 Club in Hamburg, Germany. This became the first international multidisciplinary cooperative research group of centenarians. As the first scientist to make a comprehensive study of Okinawan longevity, he organized a conference in 1995 in which the Director of the World Health Organization supported the proclamation of Okinawa as a World Longevity Region.
In 1998, Dr. Suzuki was presented with the Nishinippon News Award to recognize his lifetime contributions to health and wellbeing in Japan.
Principal Investigator, Okinawa Centenarian Study
Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Medicine, University
Supporting Staff
Christal Burnette
Christal Burnette is a specialist in Okinawan health, longevity, and plant-based traditions. She is the founder of Haitai, an educational and wellness platform focused on sharing the science and wisdom of Okinawa’s longevity lifestyle. Based in Okinawa, Japan, she has spent over a decade researching and documenting the region’s natural remedies, plant-based cuisine, and cultural practices that support healthy aging.
Since 2018, Christal has taught workshops, cooking classes, and private tours on Okinawan longevity and Yakuzen (medicinal food therapy). She has created accessible wellness education programs in both English and Japanese, and has collaborated with local Okinawan farmers and elders to preserve traditional knowledge on food, healing herbs, and daily life rhythms.
Christal’s work draws from lived experience, field research, and interviews with long-lived Okinawan elders and health practitioners. Her focus areas include Okinawan plants and herbs, their components, and Yakuzen medicinal food therapy. She is currently developing an Okinawan ikigai-based discovery framework to help others identify their unique purpose, modeled on the traditional concept of life alignment.
Her writing on Okinawan longevity has been featured in health blogs, community newsletters, and wellness seminars, and her digital resources are used by individuals across Japan and abroad. Christal continues to bridge ancient knowledge with modern health challenges, with a mission to make Okinawan wisdom both practical and approachable for all generations.
Nozomi Maezato
Nozomi Maezato is Dr. Makoto Suzuki’s assistant and handles all Japanese-language inquiries on his behalf. She supports his daily work by managing communication and scheduling.