Centenarians in Japan Reach Record High of 95,000
Michiyo Tanabe and Chika Mori
Modern Tokyo Times
The aging nature of society in Japan is highlighted by a record high of 95,119 centenarians – according to figures released by the Health and Welfare Ministry.
Every morning, many elderly citizens do light training outside or go for a brisk walk. On top of this, eating healthy food is part of the basic fabric of society.
Women (88%) account for the overwhelming majority of centenarians.
Shimane prefecture has the highest proportion of centenarians (159.5 per 100,000 people) – compared with Saitama prefecture, which remains at the bottom of the table (45.8 per 100,000 people).
NHK reports, “The ministry says there were 153 centenarians in 1963. The figure topped 1,000 in 1981 and first surpassed 10,000 in 1998.”
In the opposite direction to the increasing number of centenarians, the number of births is falling. In 2022, births fell below 800,000 from 1.5 million in the early 1980s.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan said the country is “on the brink” – concerning the declining birth rate.
The World Economic Forum in 2023 – concerning the aging of society in Japan – said, “This is a ticking time bomb for Japan’s social security system, which is struggling to meet the costs of a retired population with fewer workers paying taxes.”
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