Japan centenarian numbers reach record high at nearly 100,000, with 88% of them women
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A demographic crisis is gripping Japan as its population ages and shrinks.
PHOTO: AFP
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TOKYO – The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan has hit a record high of nearly 100,000, with almost 90 per cent of them women, ministry data showed on Sept 12.
The figures underscore the demographic crisis gripping the world’s fourth-biggest economy as its population ages and shrinks.
As of Sept 1, Japan had 99,763 centenarians, up 4,644 year on year
Japan’s oldest person is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa in the Nara region near Kyoto.
She had remained active past 80 years old then as an obstetrician-gynecologist and a general doctor, according to the ministry.
“Walking extensively during house calls built strong legs, which are the source of my current vitality,” Ms Kagawa was cited as saying in the statement.
She still has good eyesight so she spends the day watching TV, reading newspapers and doing calligraphy.
The world’s oldest person is British woman Ethel Caterham, who turned 116 in August
Japan is facing a steadily worsening population crisis, as its expanding elderly population leads to soaring medical and welfare costs, with a shrinking labour force to pay for it.
Official data in August showed that the population of Japanese nationals fell by a record amount – more than 900,000 people – in 2024.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has called the situation a “quiet emergency”, pledging family-friendly measures such as more flexible working hours and free day care to try and reverse the trend.
However, the Japanese government’s efforts to slow the decline and ageing of its population have yet to yield meaningful results. AFP
