Japan Passes 100,000 Centenarians for the First Time, but Few Young People Are Coming Up Behind Them

TOKYO Japan now has 107,677 people aged 100 or older, up 7,914 from the previous year, according to Health and Welfare Ministry figures released Tuesday. It is the first time the number has topped 100,000. It is the 56th consecutive annual rise, and women account for almost 88 percent of the total.

Kyoto resident Fuyo Kishimoto, 114, was recently recognised as Japan's oldest woman. The oldest man is 112-year-old Hikaru Kato from Kumamoto. The figures were released ahead of Respect the Aged Day on September 15, when healthy and active centenarians receive a letter from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and a silver sake cup.

How far the number has come
When the centenarian survey began in 1963, Japan counted 153 people aged 100 or older. The number passed 1,000 in 1981 and 10,000 in 1998. Last year's total was 99,763.

A shrinking younger generation
Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno said he was pleased that many people are living long, healthy and active lives, citing advances in medical technology as well as healthy lifestyles and diets. But the longevity milestone comes with a demographic squeeze at the other end of the age range.

Japan's total fertility rate fell to a record low of 1.14 in 2025, far below the 2.1 children per woman needed to maintain the current population. The 2020 census put the population at 126 million, almost 30% of them aged 65 or older. Experts estimate it will fall to 87 million by 2070, with nearly 40% aged 65 or older.

Fewer births and deepening labour shortages are placing growing pressure on the social care system, with more pension-age people supported by fewer workers. Ueno acknowledged that the high costs of raising and educating children, and the mental and physical burden on working parents, contribute to young people's reluctance to marry. He said the government will keep addressing those concerns.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. ( USIP)

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References
Associated Press, "Centenarians Living in Japan Exceed 100,000 for the First Time," September 16, 2026. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2026-09-16/centenarians-living-in-japan-exceed-100-000-for-the-first-time

NBC News (AP), "Japan now has more than 100,000 people who are 100 or older." https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/japan-more-than-100000-centenarians-rcna598081

Al Jazeera, "Japan has record 100,000 people aged over 100: How societies are ageing," September 19, 2026. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/19/japan-has-record-100000-people-aged-over-100-how-societies-are-ageing

Nbc26/Scripps (AP), "Japan records more than 100,000 centenarians amid aging population crisis." https://www.nbc26.com/health/japan-records-more-than-100-000-centenarians-amid-aging-population-crisis

News On AIR, "Japan's Centenarian Population Hits Record 99,763," September 12, 2025. https://www.newsonair.gov.in/japans-centenarian-population-hits-record-99763

Primary source: Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare centenarian survey (I couldn't open the original release).