Japan’s centenarian population tops 100,000 for first time

The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan has surpassed 100,000 for the first time, local media reported Tuesday.

The figure as of Sept. 1 rose by 7,914 from a year earlier, reaching a record 107,677, marking the 56th consecutive annual increase, Kyodo News reported, citing data from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

Women accounted for 87.6% of Japan’s centenarians.

Another 54,294 people are expected to turn 100 during fiscal 2026, an increase of 1,984 from the previous year, according to Kyodo.

Japan had an average of 87.51 centenarians per 100,000 people.

Fuyo Kishimoto, a 114-year-old Kyoto resident born on December 20, 1911, is Japan’s oldest woman, while 112-year-old Hikaru Kato of Kumamoto, born on May 2, 1914, is the country’s oldest man.

Japan counted just 153 centenarians in 1963, when data collection began. The number exceeded 1,000 in 1981, 10,000 in 1998 and 50,000 in 2012.

Average life expectancy in Japan in 2025 stood at 87.33 years for women and 81.35 years for men.