The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan has surpassed 100,000 for the first time, setting a new record in a country known for its long life expectancy.
Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said 107,677 people aged 100 or older were registered as of Sept. 1, an increase of 7,914 from a year earlier. The figure has now reached a record high for 56 consecutive years.
Women make up the overwhelming majority of Japan’s centenarians, with 94,298 women accounting for 87.6% of the total.
The increase has been dramatic since Japan began compiling the statistics in 1963, when the country had just 153 people aged 100 or older. The number surpassed 1,000 in 1981, 10,000 in 1998 and 50,000 in 2012.
Japan now has 87.51 centenarians for every 100,000 people. Shimane Prefecture has the highest rate in the country, with 186.65 centenarians per 100,000 residents.
The country’s oldest woman is 114-year-old Fuyo Kishimoto of Kyoto, while its oldest man is 112-year-old Hikaru Kato of Kumamoto.
Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno welcomed the milestone, saying it was encouraging that many people were remaining active for longer, while also highlighting the importance of longer healthy lifespans.
The milestone comes as Japan continues to grapple with a rapidly ageing and shrinking population, with fewer births and a growing elderly population increasing pressure on the country’s workforce and social security system. (Newswire)
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