Japan boasts record 80,000 centenarians

Figures highlight growing strain that ageing society puts on public sector health and welfare services

The number of centenarians in Japan has topped 80,000 for the first time, casting a spotlight on the growing challenges posed by the country’s ageing population. The total number of citizens aged 100-plus across Japan has been rising steadily for 50 years and hit 80,540 this month − up 9,176 on last year. The majority of Japanese centenarians are women, according to figures released by the ministry of health ahead of next week’s annual Respect for the Aged Day.

THE number of centenarians in Japan has topped 80,000 for the first time, casting a spotlight on the growing challenges posed by the country’s ageing population.

The total number of citizens aged 100-plus across Japan has been rising steadily for 50 years and hit 80,540 this month − up 9,176 on last year.

The majority of Japanese centenarians are women. They accounted for 88 per cent of the total, according to figures released by the ministry of health ahead of next week’s annual Respect for the Aged Day.

Japan’s super-ageing society is likely to feature high on the agenda of incoming prime minister Yoshihide Suga, 71, as the nation’s shrinking workforce and dwindling birth rate is placing growing strains on the revenue stream to pay for health and welfare services.

The rate of centenarians in Japan has been on an upward trajectory for dec- ades, with a new record set every year since 1971, when it recorded just 339 people aged 100 and older.

The new figures also echo a wider global trend, with the United Nations announcing earlier this year that the number of centenarians around the world hit 573,000 − a figure predicted to rise to 3.7 million by 2050.

While the highest total number of centenarians is in the United States, Japan has long had the world’s highest rate, with a record six people aged at least 100 among every 10,000.

Life expectancy in Japan remains one of the highest in the world, with the average woman living to 88 and the average man until 81.

The reasons behind the famed longevity of the Japanese have long been the subject of scientific research with many experts citing factors ranging from a healthy diet rich in rice and vegetables to community involvement.

Some research also suggests Japan’s investment in public health in the 1950s laid a foundation for a society that is hygiene-conscious and inclined to embrace healthy living.

Japan’s oldest woman is 117-year-old Kane Tanaka, who lives in a nursing home in Fukuoka. She has put her long life down to a love of board games, solving maths problems, sweet bean buns and milky coffee.

Centenarians traditionally receive a commemorative silver sake cup from the government and a letter of congratulation from the prime minister on Respect for the Aged Day, which is a national holiday.

However, the strain of soaring centenarian rates has already taken its toll on the government and four years ago the sterling silver cup was replaced with a cheaper silver-plated version to reduce expenses.