General health conditions were examined for their influence on mortality in the Japan Collaborative Cohort. Constipation was found to be associated with total death and cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Increased risk was also the case for excessive sleeping and napping and elevated susceptibility to colds and expectoration. Eczema increased the risk of liver cancer. In contrast, exercise proved protective against all causes of death, some cancers, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and CVD. Spending a long time watching TV, as expected, had the opposite effect. A positive attitude towards screening was also linked with lower risk of most chronic diseases.