According to Japanese government data, the number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has reached a record high of more than 95,000, with almost 90 percent of them being women.
These figures underscore Japan’s ongoing demographic crisis as its population ages and declines. As of September 1, Japan had 95,119 centenarians, an increase of 2,980 from the previous year. Among them, 83,958 were women, and 11,161 were men, as reported by the health ministry.
Separate government data revealed that the number of individuals over 65 has reached a record high of 36.25 million, accounting for 29.3 percent of Japan’s population. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, this places Japan at the top of a list of 200 countries and regions with a population of over 100,000 people.
Japan is home to the world’s oldest living person, Tomiko Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908, making her 116 years old. Maria Branyas Morera, the previous record holder, passed away last month in Spain at 117.
Itooka resides in an Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture nursing home in western Japan. She often expresses gratitude to the nursing home staff and reminisces about her hometown.
Japan’s oldest man, Kiyotaka Mizuno, 110, told local media that he has no idea about the secret of his long life. Mizuno, who lives in Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture in central Japan, gets up at 6:30 a.m. every morning, eats three meals daily, and enjoys listening to live sports, including sumo wrestling.
Japan is grappling with a steadily worsening population crisis as its elderly population grows. This leads to rising medical and welfare costs and a shrinking labor force to support it. According to previous government data, the country’s overall population is 124 million, having declined by 595,000 in the last year.
The government has made efforts to address the declining and aging population, including gradually extending the retirement age, with 65 becoming the standard for all employers from fiscal 2025.
