Japan has reached a new milestone in its demographic shift, with the number of centenarians surpassing 95,000, according to government data released on Tuesday.
As of September 1, there are 95,119 people aged 100 or older, 90% of whom are women.
This marks a year-on-year increase of 2,980, with 83,958 women and 11,161 men now in the centenarian category.
This trend is part of a broader demographic challenge as Japan’s population continues to age and shrink.
Separate data revealed that those aged 65 and older now make up a record 36.25 million people, accounting for 29.3% of the total population. This gives Japan the highest proportion of elderly citizens among countries with populations exceeding 100,000.
Japan is also home to the world’s oldest living person, 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka, who resides in a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture. The previous record holder, Maria Branyas Morera, passed away last month at age 117 in Spain.
The country’s oldest man, Kiyotaka Mizuno, aged 110, lives in Shizuoka Prefecture and maintains a daily routine of waking up early and eating three balanced meals.
Japan’s aging population is contributing to rising healthcare and welfare costs, while the labor force continues to shrink.
Despite government efforts to address the issue by extending retirement age, the country’s population fell by 595,000 last year, standing at 124 million.
Starting from 2025, retirement at age 65 will be the standard for all employers in an attempt to manage the demographic crisis.
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