Japan Reports Record 99,763 Centenarians as Lifespans Continue to Lengthen
Health officials point to diet, active lifestyles and low rates of fatal disease even as the country records its largest single-year population decline
Japan’s population of citizens aged 100 and older reached a record 99,763 in 2025, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said, marking the 55th consecutive year the country has posted a new high in centenarians.
The tally — an increase of 4,644 from the previous year — was released ahead of Japan’s national Elderly Day and underscored the country’s status as having one of the world’s longest life expectancies. Women accounted for 87,784 of the centenarians, or roughly 88 percent, compared with 11,979 men. The ministry said the oldest living person is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa of Nara Prefecture; the oldest man is 111-year-old Kiyotaka Mizuno.
Health officials and researchers attribute Japan’s longevity to several interrelated factors, including low rates of heart disease and certain cancers, dietary patterns that emphasize fish and vegetables and limit red meat and salt, and sustained physical activity among older adults. Public habits such as walking and using public transit, daily exercise programs like the three-minute Radio Taiso broadcast, and community engagement have been cited as contributors to extended healthy life spans.
The ministry’s data trace a long-term rise in centenarians: it began tracking people aged 100 or older in 1963, when there were just 153. The continuing increase in the elderly population has occurred even as the nation’s overall population declines. Officials reported that in 2024 Japan had nearly 1 million more deaths than births — the steepest single-year population drop since government surveys began nearly six decades ago.
Last year saw 687,689 births, the fewest since the government began recording births in 1968, and about 1.6 million deaths, leaving Japan’s total population at about 120 million. The population previously peaked near 126.6 million in 2009 and has been shrinking steadily since.
The demographic trend has prompted government initiatives aimed at encouraging childbearing and supporting families, including expanded access to childcare, healthcare measures and policies to shorten workweeks with the goal of freeing time for family life. Officials say such measures are intended to counteract the falling birthrate and the long-term challenges of an aging society, including increased demand for elder care and a shrinking labor force.
Public-health researchers caution that a growing centenarian population presents both achievements and policy challenges. Longer lives can reflect sustained reductions in fatal disease and improvements in preventive care, but an aging population also increases the need for medical services, long-term care, and social supports tailored to very elderly residents.
The ministry’s annual release of centenarian figures is closely watched by policymakers and demographers as part of broader efforts to plan for health, pension and social-care systems amid shifting age and family structures. Japan’s blend of dietary patterns, community-based activity and public health measures is frequently examined by other countries seeking lessons for promoting healthy aging, even as Japan pursues domestic policies to address its falling birthrate.
The centenarian count and accompanying demographic statistics highlight a paradox in Japan’s population story: notable gains in longevity alongside a precipitous decline in births that reshapes the country’s age profile and raises pressing fiscal and social questions for policymakers.