When Japan began collecting data on people aged 100 and above in 1963, there were only 153 such individuals. That number has now risen to 107,677. According to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour, the number of people aged 100 or older has exceeded 100,000 for the first time. Currently, Japan has 107,677 centenarians, the highest number in the world, with 88% of them being women. The oldest woman is 114-year-old Fuyo Kishimoto from Kyoto, while the oldest man is 112-year-old Hikaru Kato from Kumamoto.
Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno expressed happiness at seeing many people lead long, healthy, and active lives. He credited advances in medicine and technology for this success. However, Ueno also warned that the country faces a major challenge in maintaining a sustainable social security system. Experts cite healthy diets and active lifestyles as key reasons for Japanese longevity. The typical Japanese diet mainly includes fish, vegetables, and rice and has a lower fat intake compared to Western diets.
Elderly people in Japan regularly walk, use public transportation, cycle, and engage in physical exercise. Japan’s population has been steadily aging. For over a decade, sales of adult diapers have surpassed those of baby diapers. Companies have begun developing new devices targeting the elderly, including powered exoskeletons that assist body movement and glasses with self-adjusting focus.
To maintain its population, a country needs an average fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman. Last year, Japan’s total fertility rate dropped to a record low of 1.14. According to data from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Japan’s total population is projected to shrink to 87 million by 2070, a nearly 30% decline from 128 million in 2008. Currently, people aged 65 and older constitute about 30% of Japan’s total population; this is expected to rise to nearly 40% by 2070.
Japanese officials describe this trend as a crisis of existence. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has referred to the population decline as a ‘quiet emergency.’ By 2025, all but two of Japan’s 47 prefectures are projected to experience population decreases, with the rate continuing to accelerate. Although the government has implemented various programs and subsidies to encourage young people to have more children, there has been no significant impact on birth rates. Experts attribute the low fertility rate to complex factors, including declining marriage rates, increased female labor market participation, and rising costs associated with raising children. Although immigration has increased in recent years, foreign residents account for only about 3% of the total population, and opposition to immigration has also grown. Compared to other major economies, Japan still has relatively low numbers of foreign nationals.
When Japan started collecting centenarian data in 1963, there were 153 individuals aged 100 or older. This number reached 1,000 by 1981 and 10,000 by 1998. Previous studies have questioned the reliability of centenarian counts worldwide due to errors in records, unreliable government documentation, and missing birth certificates, which could result in inflated numbers of people reported to be aged 100 or more.
