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Japan now has more than 100,000 people aged 100 or older for the first time, marking another milestone in one of the world’s most rapidly aging societies.
Health Ministry figures showed 107,677 centenarians as of Sept. 1, up 7,914 from a year earlier. The total has increased every year for 56 consecutive years.
Women accounted for 87.6 percent of those aged 100 and above, continuing to dominate the country’s oldest age group.
Japan recorded an average of 87.51 centenarians for every 100,000 residents, while another 54,294 people are expected to reach their 100th birthday during fiscal 2026.
The country’s oldest woman is Fuyo Kishimoto of Kyoto, who is 114, while 112-year-old Hikaru Kato of Kumamoto is the oldest man.
The scale of Japan’s centenarian population has changed dramatically since official counting began in 1963, when only 153 people were recorded.
The figure first exceeded 1,000 in 1981, passed 10,000 in 1998 and reached 50,000 in 2012 before doubling again over the following years.
Japan’s latest longevity figures also remain among the highest globally, with average life expectancy in 2025 at 87.33 years for women and 81.35 years for men.
