Number of centenarians in Japan passes 100,000 for first time

The number of centenarians in Japan has exceeded 100,000 for the first time, with 107,677 people aged 100 or over now living in the country.

Japan has seen a continuous increase in the number of centenarians for 56 consecutive years, with only 153 centenarians in 1963 compared to over 100,000 today.

Despite the high life expectancy in Japan, the country's population is shrinking rapidly due to low birth rates and immigration levels, leading to rising social security costs and a significant national debt.

The number of centenarians in Japan has for the first time exceeded 100,000, the Health Ministry in Tokyo said on Tuesday.

A total of 107,677 people aged 100 or over now live in the world's fourth-largest economy - 7,914 more than a year earlier.

"We are pleased that many people are living longer and remaining active thanks to advances in medical technology," Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno told reporters.

The number of centenarians has risen every year for 56 consecutive years. When Japan began keeping statistics in 1963, the island nation counted just 153 centenarians. Twenty-five years later the figure had already exceeded 10,000.

According to the latest survey, around 88% of all centenarians are women. Japan has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, with women living to around 87 and men to around 81.

At the same time, Japan's population is shrinking at a record pace due to low birth rates and comparatively low levels of immigration. At the start of the year, the number of Japanese citizens fell below 120 million for the first time in 42 years, to around 119.7 million. Within a single year, the country's population shrank by 917,000 - roughly the size of a large city.

The costs of social security in Japan are rising year on year due to the declining birth rate and the ageing population, placing an increasing burden on public finances. This is happening in a country that already has by far the highest level of national debt among industrialized nations.