TOKYO, September 20 — Japan has become the first country to record more than 100,000 people aged 100 or older, a longevity milestone announced as the nation confronts an accelerating demographic crisis. The number of centenarians reached a record 107,677 this year, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare — an increase of 7,914 from 2025 and the 56th consecutive annual rise. Women account for almost 88 percent of the total.
Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno said he was “very pleased that many people are living long, healthy and active lives,” citing advances in medical technology as well as healthy lifestyles and diets. At its heart, though, the celebration sits alongside a profound imbalance.
Japan’s elderly population continues to grow while the number of births remains at an all-time low, leaving a shrinking workforce to plug mounting pension, healthcare and social care costs.
An ageing nation, a shrinking population
Almost three in every 10 residents are now aged 65 or older, one of the highest proportions in the world, and that share is projected to approach 40 percent by 2070. More than 800,000 people were aged 95 or above last year, while only 700,000 babies were born, according to government figures. The country’s total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman is expected to have in her lifetime — fell to a record low of 1.14 in 2025.
A rate of about 2.1 is generally considered necessary to maintain a stable population without immigration to bolster working-age numbers. Preliminary census figures show the population was lower in 45 of Japan’s 47 prefectures in 2025 than five years earlier, with only Tokyo and Okinawa recording increases.
Japan’s population peaked at about 128 million in 2008, and the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research projects it will fall to 87 million by 2070 — a decline of roughly 30 percent.
Why so many live so long
There is no single explanation for the longevity. Researchers have pointed to a combination of diet, activity and healthcare. The traditional Japanese diet tends to contain large amounts of fish, vegetables and rice, and comparatively low levels of saturated fat.
Obesity rates are significantly lower than in many Western countries. Daily routines may play a role as well, with many people out walking, cycling and using public transport, including older people, while group exercise is widely practised.
Japan’s universal health insurance system also provides broad access to treatment and medicines at relatively low cost compared with countries such as the United States. As the population ages, more people of pension age — who may require higher levels of social care and medical intervention — are being supported by fewer working-age people. Over time, this becomes a major economic problem.
Japan has introduced child allowances, subsidised childcare, parental leave programmes and other incentives intended to encourage births. The story is illustrated by Toshisuke Kanazawa, a 90-year-old bodybuilder who trains in his gym in Hiroshima on 11 September 2026.
What to watch next is whether those birth incentives move the fertility rate at all, and how quickly the projected fall toward 87 million by 2070 reshapes the workforce that funds the pensions and care of a record number of centenarians.
