Japan's health ministry reports that over 100,000 people aged 100 or older now live in Japan, a world record with women making up 88% of this group. Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno attributes this trend to advancements in healthcare and lifestyle factors like diet and regular physical activity. However, he also highlights the challenges posed by an aging population on social security systems; Japan's total fertility rate dropped to 1.14 last year, with experts attributing declining birth rates to economic pressures and societal changes that deter childbearing.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The number of 107,677 centenarians (people aged 100 or older) in Japan surpassed 100,000 for the first time, making Japan home to the highest number of centenarians globally. Of these, 88% are women, with the oldest being Fuyo Kishimoto, a 114-year-old from Kyoto City, and the oldest man is Hikaru Kato, aged 112, from Kumamoto. Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno celebrated this milestone, attributing it to advancements in medicine and technology as well as healthier lifestyles and diets. However, he also highlighted the challenges Japan faces in sustaining its social security system amid an aging population; residents over 65 already make up around 30% of the country's population, expected to rise to nearly 40% by 2070.
Written for “Japanese Centenarians Record” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 11059 · logged 2026-09-16
- Published
The number of people aged 100 or more in Japan has exceeded 100,000 for the first time, according to the health ministry.
uncertain
number → publish → ministry
Figures show Japan is now home to 107,677 centenarians, the highest number in the world, of whom 88% are women.
asserted
% → show → whom
Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno said he was "delighted that so many people are living long, healthy and active lives", citing progress in medicine and technology.
But Kenichiri also warned of the challenge the country faces in maintaining a sustainable social security system.
asserted
country → say → system
Experts put the long lives of the Japanese down to several factors, including a healthy diet and an active lifestyle.
asserted
Experts → put → diet
The island nation's cuisine predominantly consists of fish, vegetables, and rice - and less saturated fat than many Western diets.
asserted
cuisine → consist → diets
Older people also regularly walk, use public transport, cycle and stretch.
asserted
people → walk → transport
Japan has been aging for years and sales of adult nappies have been higher than those for babies for more than a decade.
asserted
sales → age → decade
Companies have also developed new products for the older population, including a powered exoskeleton to support moving various parts of the body and eyewear that automatically adjusts its focus.
asserted
that → develop → focus
For a population to replace itself, each woman needs to give birth to 2.1 children on average.
asserted
woman → replace → children
Last year Japan's total fertility rate dropped to a record low of 1.14.
asserted
rate → drop → 1.14
The total population is estimated to drop to 87 million by 2070, representing a 30% decline from its peak of 128 million in 2008, according to data from the National Institute of Population and Social Security research.
uncertain
population → estimate → research
Residents aged 65 and older currently make up around 30% of the population and are expected to make up nearly 40% by 2070.
asserted
Residents → age → 2070
Japanese authorities have called the trend an "existential crisis" with Prime Minister Sanae Takichi describing the decline as a "quiet emergency".
asserted
Takichi → call → emergency
In 2025 Japan's total population decreased in all 47 prefectures but two, and the rate of decline is accelerating.
asserted
rate → decrease → decline
The government's many programmes and subsidies to encourage young people to have more children do not appear to be boosting birth rates.
asserted
programmes → encourage → rates
Experts say the reasons are complex, ranging from lower marriage rates and more women joining the workforce to the increased costs of raising children.
asserted
women → say → children
While immigration has risen in previous years, foreigners only make up around 3% of the population and opposition to accepting more has grown.
asserted
opposition → rise → more
When Japan began its centenarian survey in 1963, there were 153 people aged 100 or over.
asserted
Japan → begin → 100
That figure rose to 1,000 in 1981 and stood at 10,000 by 1998.
asserted
figure → rise → 1998
The most recent figures were released ahead of Japan's annual "Respect for the Aged" public holiday, on which the government honours those turning 100 with a personal letter and traditional sake cup.
asserted
government → release → letter
Studies have previously cast doubt on the validity of global centenarian numbers, suggesting data errors, unreliable public records and missing birth certificates may account for elevated figures.
uncertain
errors → cast → figures
A government audit of family registries in Japan in 2010 uncovered more than 230,000 people listed as being aged 100 or older who were unaccounted for, some having died decades previously.
asserted
some → uncover → people
The miscounting was attributed to patchy record-keeping and suspicions that some families may have tried to hide the deaths of elderly relatives in order to claim their pensions.
uncertain
families → attribute → pensions
The Aporia
