September 12, 2025 at 17:30 JST
The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older is projected to reach 99,763 as of Sept. 15, up 4,644 from a year earlier and a record for the 55th consecutive year, the health ministry announced on Sept. 12.
Japan counted just 153 centenarians in 1963, when the Elderly Welfare Law that stipulated the “Old People’s Day” was enacted.
In 1998, the number of centenarians topped 10,000 and is now nearing 100,000.
Women account for 87,784 centenarians, about 88 percent of the total. By prefecture, Shimane has the most per 100,000 residents for the 13th year in a row at 168.69, followed by Kochi at 157.16 and Tottori at 144.63. Saitama is lowest for the 36th consecutive year at 48.50.
Japan’s oldest person is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa of Nara Prefecture; the oldest man is 111-year-old Kiyotaka Mizuno, of Shizuoka Prefecture.
Separately, 52,310 people are expected to celebrate turning 100 during the current fiscal year as of Sept. 1, up 4,422 from a year earlier and also a record.
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