Japan records nearly 100,000 people aged 100 or older, government says

Japan’s government said Friday that the number of people aged 100 or older has reached a record 99,763, marking the 55th consecutive year the figure has increased.

The Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry said women accounted for an overwhelming majority of the total, with 87,784 female centenarians and 11,979 male. The figures were compiled as of September and were released ahead of the national holiday Respect for the Aged Day on Sept. 15, when new centenarians are traditionally sent a congratulatory letter and a silver cup from the prime minister. This year, the ministry said, 52,310 people were eligible to receive the letter and cup.

The oldest person in Japan is reported to be 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa of Yamatokoriyama, Nara prefecture. The oldest man is listed as Kiyotaka Mizuno, 111, from Iwata in Shizuoka prefecture. Health Minister Takamaro Fukoka congratulated the centenarians and expressed his "gratitude for their many years of contributions to the development of society."

Japan has the world’s longest life expectancy and is one of the fastest ageing societies, factors that together have produced a growing population of very elderly residents even as the nation records one of the lowest birth rates among developed countries. When the government began its centenarian survey in 1963, there were 153 people aged 100 or over. That number rose to 1,000 in 1981 and reached 10,000 by 1998.

Public health experts and government data point to several factors that have contributed to longer lives in Japan. Deaths from cardiovascular disease and some common cancers have declined, and Japan has relatively low obesity rates in comparison with many Western countries. Diets traditionally low in red meat and higher in fish and vegetables, along with public health campaigns to reduce salt intake, are cited as contributors to lower rates of heart disease and certain cancers. Physical activity also plays a role: many Japanese, including older adults, walk regularly and rely on public transport, and communal exercise routines such as radio taiso, a short daily calisthenics program first broadcast in 1928, remain common.

However, some researchers have questioned the accuracy of centenarian counts worldwide, saying data errors, incomplete records and missing birth certificates may inflate totals. Japan itself uncovered significant problems after a government audit of family registries in 2010 found more than 230,000 people listed as aged 100 or older who were unaccounted for; some of those people had died decades earlier. Officials attributed the miscounting to uneven record-keeping and, in some cases, families failing to report deaths, which can affect pension payments. The irregularities prompted a national inquiry after remains thought to be those of Sogen Koto, once believed to be Tokyo’s oldest man, were found in his family home 32 years after his death.

The new official tally underscores the demographic shift Japan faces: an expanding population of very elderly people alongside a shrinking workforce and persistently low fertility. Policymakers have long grappled with the implications for health care, pensions and social services, and the annual centenarian count is one metric officials use to plan for those needs. The Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry said it will continue to monitor trends and maintain public programs aimed at supporting healthy ageing.

The government release did not provide new projections for future centenarian growth, but the steady rise in numbers over six decades illustrates the enduring change in Japan’s age profile and the public health and social challenges that accompany it.