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The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has hit a record high of more than 95,000 – almost 90% of them women, according to government data.
The figures highlight the slow-burning demographic crisis gripping the world’s fourth-biggest economy as its population ages and shrinks.
As of Sept. 1, Japan had 95,119 centenarians, up 2,980 year-on-year, with 83,958 women and 11,161 men, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
On Sunday, separate government data showed that the number of over-65s has hit a record high of 36.25 million, accounting for 29.3% of Japan’s population.
The proportion puts Japan at the top of a list of 200 countries and regions with a population of over 100,000 people, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
Japan is currently home to the world’s oldest living person, Tomiko Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908, and is 116 years old, according to the U.S.-based Gerontology Research Group.
The previous record-holder, Maria Branyas Morera, died last month in Spain at 117.
Itooka lives in a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan, the ministry said. Japan’s aging crisis worsens with 95,119 centenarians, nearly 90% women, driving up medical costs and shrinking the workforce.
She often says “thank you” to the nursing home staff and expresses nostalgia about her hometown, the ministry said.
“I have no idea at all about what’s the secret of my long life,” Japan’s oldest man, Kiyotaka Mizuno, who is 110, told local media.
Mizuno, who lives in Iwata, Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan, with his family, gets up at 6:30 a.m. every morning and eats three meals daily – without being picky about his food.
His hobby is listening to live sports, including sumo wrestling, the ministry said.
Japan is facing a steadily worsening population crisis, as its expanding elderly population leads to soaring medical and welfare costs, with a shrinking labor force to pay for it.
According to the last government data, the country’s overall population is 124 million, after declining by 595,000 in the previous.
The government has attempted to slow the decline and aging of its population without meaningful success while gradually extending the retirement age – with 65 becoming the rule for all employers from fiscal 2025.
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Emil Kovács graduated from the Journalism program at Eötvös Loránd University in Hungary. During his journalism studies, he focused on data journalism, investigative reporting, and multimedia storytelling. He gained experience by writing for the university’s student newspaper, where he gained attention for his articles on social issues. After graduation, Emil began working as a reporter at a European news agency, where he conducts in-depth analyses of international news and current events.
