Sep 16 (NHK) - Japanese government data show the number of senior citizens in the country and the size of its elderly working population have both hit all-time highs.
The internal affairs ministry released the figures before Japan marks Respect for the Aged Day on Monday.
The ministry estimates that as of Sunday, the nation had a record 36.25 million people aged 65 or above. That is an increase of 20,000 from the figure a year earlier.
About 15.72 million of them were men, while roughly 20.53 million were women.
The elderly accounted for 29.3 percent of the overall population, also a record high. They made up 26.1 percent of all men and 32.3 percent of women.
Another survey by the ministry shows the country's elderly working population stood at a record 9.14 million last year.
That means 25.2 percent of the elderly had work. The ratio was 52 percent among those aged 65 through 69.
The number of elderly men in employment shrank 40,000 from the previous year to 5.34 million. But the tally of their female counterparts rose 50,000 to 3.8 million.
The ministry says the elderly working population will continue to expand due to labor shortages and other factors.
