There are almost 100.000 people over 100 years old living in Japan.

Longer life expectancy is largely attributed to fewer deaths from heart disease and common forms of cancer, especially breast and prostate.

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Photo: Shutterstock
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The number of people in Japan over the age of 100 has risen to a record high of 100.000, the Health Ministry said.

Women make up 88 percent of that number.

Along with the longest life expectancy in the world, this country is also known for often being home to the world's oldest person - although some studies dispute the actual number of centenarians across the planet.

Japan is also the fastest aging society, the population eats healthily, but has a low birth rate.

The oldest resident of Japan is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa, a woman from Yamatokoriyama, a suburb of the city of Nara.

The oldest man is Kiyotaka Mizuno, who is 111 years old, from the coastal city of Iwata.

Health Minister Takamaro Fukoka congratulated 87.784 centenarians and 11.979 centenarians on their long lives and thanked them "for their long-standing contributions to the development of society."

The data was released ahead of Japan's Elderly Day on September 15, a national holiday when new centenarians receive a congratulatory card and a silver cup from the prime minister.

This year, 52.310 people have exercised their right to assistance, the Ministry of Health announced.

During the 1960s, Japan had the lowest number of centenarians, but that changed significantly in the decades that followed.

When the government began its centenarian survey in 1963, there were only 153 people aged 100 or older.

That number rose to one thousand in 1981.

During 1998, there were 10.000 of them.

The longer life expectancy is largely attributed to fewer deaths from heart disease and common forms of cancer, especially breast and prostate.

Japan has low rates of obesity, a major contributing factor to both diseases, thanks to a diet low in red meat and high in fish and vegetables.

Obesity rates are particularly low among women, which may go some way to explaining why Japanese women have a longer life expectancy than Japanese men.

While sugar and salt were increasingly used in the diet in the rest of the world, Japan went in the other direction - the country successfully convinced people to reduce their salt consumption.

But it's not just about nutrition.

The Japanese are often physically active even in their later years, walking and using public transportation more than older people in America and Europe.

Radio Taiso, daily group exercise, has been a part of Japanese culture since 1928.

It is designed to encourage togetherness and health care.

The three-minute routine is broadcast on television and practiced in small groups across the country.

However, several studies have questioned the accuracy of data on the number of centenarians in the world.

Data errors, unreliable censuses and birth certificates may be reasons for the high numbers.

It's the government 2010. conducted an audit of family registers in Japan and discovered more than 230.000 people over 100 years old who are listed as missing, some of whom actually died more than a few decades ago.

The miscount was attributed to inconsistent record-keeping and suspicions that some families may have tried to hide the deaths of elderly relatives in order to claim pensions.

The investigation was launched after the body of Sogen Koto, believed to be the oldest man in Tokyo at 111, was found in his family home 32 years ago. after his death.

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