Japan's government says it has set a new record with nearly 100,000 people older than 100 years old

The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has climbed to nearly 100,000, setting a new record, the government announced.

According to the health ministry, there were 99,763 centenarians as of September, the 55th consecutive year the total has reached a record high. Women made up an overwhelming 88% of the group.

Japan, known for having the world’s longest life expectancy and often home to the oldest living person, is also one of the fastest-aging societies. Its residents are noted for healthier diets but also face a low birth rate.

The country’s oldest living person is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa of Yamatokoriyama, near Nara, while the oldest man is 111-year-old Kiyotaka Mizuno of Iwata, a coastal city.

Health minister Takamaro Fukoka congratulated the 87,784 women and 11,979 men who reached 100, thanking them for their “many years of contributions to the development of society.”

The announcement came ahead of Japan’s Elderly Day, a national holiday on 15 September, when new centenarians are honored with a letter and silver cup from the prime minister. This year, 52,310 people were eligible, the ministry said.

When the survey began in 1963, Japan had only 153 centenarians. The number passed 1,000 in 1981 and 10,000 in 1998. Today, Japan’s rising life expectancy is largely credited to lower deaths from heart disease and common cancers, combined with low obesity rates. Diets rich in fish and vegetables and low in red meat are seen as a major factor, particularly for women, who live significantly longer than men.

Public health campaigns urging reduced salt intake have also contributed, as have lifestyle factors: Japanese seniors remain active longer, walking more and relying on public transport. Since 1928, “Radio Taiso,” a three-minute daily exercise broadcast nationwide, has reinforced both health and community ties.

Still, some studies question centenarian statistics worldwide, citing errors in public records and missing birth certificates. In 2010, a Japanese government audit uncovered more than 230,000 names in family registries listed as over 100 but unaccounted for, many of whom had died decades earlier.