Society

Japan's Centenarian Population At Record High, 88% Women

TOKYO, Sep 12 (News On Japan) - With September’s Respect-for-the-Aged Day three days away, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said Japan’s population of people aged 100 or older has climbed to nearly 100,000, marking a record for the 55th consecutive year.

According to the ministry, the nationwide total stood at 99,763 as of September 1, an increase of 4,644 from a year earlier. Women accounted for 87,784, or about 88% of the total, while men numbered 11,979.

The country’s oldest resident is Shigeko Kagawa, a 114-year-old woman living in Nara Prefecture, and the oldest man is Kiyotaka Mizuno, 111, of Shizuoka Prefecture.

Japan’s centenarian count surpassed 10,000 in 1998 and exceeded 50,000 in 2012; over the past 13 years it has roughly doubled, approaching 100,000.

Source: TBS

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