According to a government data released on Tuesday, September 17 the number of people in Japan aged 100 years and above has reached a record high of over 95,000, with nearly 90 percent being women.
This statistic underscores the ongoing demographic challenges faced by Japan, the world’s fourth-largest economy, as its population continues to age and decline.
As of Sunday, September 1, Japan had 95,119 centenarians an increase of 2,980 from the previous year.
Among them, 83,958 were women and 11,161 were men, according to a statement from the health ministry.
A separate government data revealed on Sunday, September 15 that the number of people aged 65 and older has reached a record high of 36.25 million, making up 29.3 percent of Japan’s population.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan’s proportion of people aged 65 and older is the highest among 200 countries and regions with populations over 100,000.
Japan is also home to the world’s oldest living person, Tomiko Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908 and is currently 116 years old, according to the US-based Gerontology Research Group.
The previous record-holder, Maria Branyas Morera, passed away last month in Spain at the age of 117.
According to the ministry, Itooka resides in a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, in western Japan.
The ministry noted that she frequently expresses her gratitude to the nursing home staff and often reminisces about her hometown.
“I have no idea at all about what’s the secret of my long life,” Japan’s oldest man, Kiyotaka Mizuno, who is 110, said.
Mizuno, who resides with his family in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan rises at 6:30 a.m each day and enjoys three meals daily without any particular fuss about his diet.
According to the ministry, his hobby is listening to live sports broadcasts, including sumo wrestling.
Japan is grappling with an increasingly severe population crisis, as a growing elderly population drives up medical and welfare costs while a shrinking workforce struggles to cover these expenses.
The total population of Japan stands at 124 million following a decrease of 595,000 in the previous year according to earlier government data.
Efforts by the government to address the population decline as well as aging have not achieved significant results, although they are gradually raising the retirement age, with 65 becoming the standard for all employers starting fiscal 2025.
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