Japan has hit a staggering new milestone, with its government confirming the number of citizens aged 100 or older has climbed to nearly 100,000.
The figure marks the 55th consecutive year that Japan has broken its own record for centenarians, driven by the country’s high life expectancy and long-standing reputation as home to the world’s oldest living people. In the 1960s, only 153 Japanese citizens were aged 100 or older, now that number is 99,763.
Women account for an overwhelming 88% of the total, with experts pointing to low obesity rates, healthier diets rich in fish and vegetables, and daily physical routines like Radio Taiso group exercise as major factors. The oldest living person in Japan is Shigeko Kagawa, 114, while Kiyotaka Mizuno, 111, is the country’s oldest man.
Japanese centenarian stats released ahead of Elderly Day
The announcement comes ahead of Japan’s Elderly Day on September 15, a national holiday where new centenarians receive a congratulatory letter and silver cup from the prime minister. This year alone, more than 52,000 people became eligible for the tradition.
Japan’s centenarian population has grown steadily since the government began tracking it in 1963, when the count was just over 150. That rose to 1,000 in 1981, 10,000 by 1998, and now stands just short of 100,000.
While some studies question whether global centenarian figures are fully accurate, Japan’s record underscores its status as the world’s fastest-aging society, and shows no signs of slowing down.