The number of people aged 100 or over in Japan has exceeded 100,000 for the first time, according to newly released government figures.
Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare The statistics were released on Tuesday He confirmed this achievement, explaining that Japan now has 107,677 centenarians, an increase of 7,914 over the previous year.
Among people over the age of 100, there are 13,379 males and 94,298 females, meaning women make up about 88% of the total.
The figures were released on September 15, known in Japan as Respect for the Elderly Day, when centenarians are honored by the government with a message from Prime Minister Sanae Takaishi and a silver sake cup.
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The number of centenarians across the country has increased steadily since the early 1960s. There were 153 centenarians in 1963, when the Elder Welfare Act was ratified; The number exceeded a thousand in 1981, reached 10,000 in 1998, and exceeded 50,000 in 2012.
“I’m very happy that so many people are living long, healthy and active lives,” Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno told reporters on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, citing advances in medical technology, access to regular, high-quality health care, a healthy lifestyle and diet as contributing factors, before noting the importance of maintaining strong social safety nets as the population ages and declines.
Stuart Gittle-Basten, a professor of social sciences at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, told the New York Times that women are overrepresented in this category because many men of that generation were killed in World War II, and survivors often drink and smoke. Men are also more likely to hold industrial jobs, which can lead to long-term health problems.
In contrast, he explained, women tend to be more involved in their communities, which improves mental health, while men often suffer from isolation after the death of a spouse.
An aging population combined with a slowing fertility rate means Japan’s population decline is inevitable, experts told The Associated Press, noting that the country’s fertility rate has fallen to a record high of 1.14 in 2025, far below the threshold of 2.1 children needed to maintain the current population.
Japan’s total population during the 2020 census was 126 million, nearly 30 percent of whom were 65 or older.
Experts estimate there will be a decline to 87 million by 2070, with nearly 40 percent aged 65 or older, according to the National Institute.
Recent data indicate that young Japanese people are also reluctant to marry.
Last week, the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research released the results of a survey that found that more than 20% of single men and women in Japan between the ages of 18 and 34 have no intention of getting married, with nearly half saying they see no benefit to the institution.
Owino admitted that the reasons for young people’s reluctance to marry include the high costs of raising and educating children and the mental and physical harm borne by working parents, according to the Associated Press.
Kyoto resident Fuyu Kishimoto is Japan’s oldest woman, at 114 years old. Hikaru Kato, the oldest man in Japan, is 112 years old.
-With files from The Associated Press.
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