The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has risen to a record high of nearly 100,000, its government has announced.
Setting a new record for the 55th year in a row, the number of centenarians in Japan was 99,763 as of September, the health ministry said on Friday. Of that total, women accounted for an overwhelming 88%.
Japan has the world's longest life expectancy, and is known for often being home to the world's oldest living person - though some studies contest the actual number of centenarians worldwide.
It is also one of the fastest ageing societies, with residents often having a healthier diet but a low birth rate.
The oldest person in Japan is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa, a woman from Yamatokoriyama, a suburb of the city Nara. Meanwhile, the oldest man is Kiyotaka Mizuno, 111, from the coastal city of Iwata.
Health minister Takamaro Fukoka congratulated the 87,784 female and 11,979 male centenarians on their longevity and expressed his gratitude for their many years of contributions to the development of society.
The figures were released ahead of Japan's Elderly Day on 15 September, a national holiday where new centenarians receive a congratulatory letter and silver cup from the prime minister. This year, 52,310 individuals were eligible, the health ministry said.
In the 1960s, Japan's population had the lowest proportion of people aged over 100 of any G7 country - but that has changed remarkably in the decades since.
When its government began the centenarian survey in 1963, there were 153 people aged 100 or over. This number rose to 1,000 in 1981 and stood at 10,000 by 1998.
The increase in life expectancy can be largely attributed to reduced mortality from heart disease and common forms of cancer, particularly breast and prostate cancer.
Japan maintains low obesity rates, a significant factor in disease prevalence, attributed to diets high in fish and vegetables and low in red meat.
The obesity rate is especially low among women, contributing to the discrepancies in life expectancy between genders.
As increased sugar and salt levels affect diets globally, Japan's public health messaging has successfully reduced salt consumption.
Moreover, lifestyle factors play a significant role; Japanese people tend to remain active in their older age by walking and utilizing public transportation more frequently than their US and European counterparts.
Radio Taiso, a group exercise routine, has been part of Japanese culture since 1928 to promote community and fitness.
Despite these encouraging figures, several studies challenge the reliability of global centenarian statistics, suggesting inaccuracies in records and potential discrepancies in family registries that can inflate numbers.
A notable government audit in 2010 revealed more than 230,000 individuals listed as centenarians who could not be accounted for, some having actually passed away many years earlier.
