Japan’s population of people aged 100 or older has crossed 100,000 for the first time, with 107,677 centenarians recorded as of September 1, 2026. The milestone comes as the country’s overall population continues to decline and its birth rate remains at a historic low.

Japan’s Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry said the number of people aged 100 or older rose by 7,914 from the previous year.

The figure has increased every year since the government began its annual centenarian survey in 1963, when just 153 people aged 100 or older were recorded.

The number crossed 1,000 in 1981, 10,000 in 1998 and 50,000 in 2012.

Women account for the overwhelming majority of Japan’s centenarian population. There are 94,298 women aged 100 or older, representing 87.6% of the total.

Fuyo Kishimoto, a 114-year-old from Kyoto, is currently Japan’s oldest woman. Hikaru Kato, a 112-year-old from Kumamoto, is the country’s oldest man.

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Japan’s ageing population

Japan remains one of the world’s longest-living countries. Average life expectancy in 2025 was 87.33 years for women and 81.35 years for men.

People aged 65 and over currently account for about 30% of Japan’s population. Their share is projected to approach 40% by 2070.

The rise in longevity has been accompanied by growing pressure on the country’s social security system. Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno said the number of people remaining active and healthy into old age reflected progress in medicine and technology, while also highlighting the strain created by demographic changes.

Population is shrinking

The centenarian milestone comes against a very different trend in Japan’s wider population.

Japan’s fertility rate fell to a record-low 1.14 in 2025, significantly below the roughly 2.1 level generally required for a population to replace itself without migration.

The country’s population is projected to decline from its peak of about 128 million in 2008 to around 87 million by 2070, according to Japan’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

In 2025, population numbers declined in 45 of Japan’s 47 prefectures.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has described the demographic decline as a “quiet emergency”. Government incentives and programmes aimed at encouraging childbirth have so far not reversed the decline in births.

Experts have pointed to factors including lower marriage rates, the cost of raising children and changing patterns of work and family life.

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Questions over centenarian records

Japan’s centenarian figures have also faced scrutiny over the reliability of historical records.

A government audit of family registries in 2010 found more than 230,000 people listed as being 100 or older who could not be accounted for or were believed to have died years earlier. The discrepancies were attributed to weaknesses in recordkeeping, with some cases also raising concerns about families concealing deaths to continue receiving pension payments.

The latest figures are released ahead of Japan’s “Respect for the Aged” holiday, when the government traditionally sends letters and commemorative gifts to people turning 100.

Japan’s centenarian milestone illustrates two demographic trends unfolding at the same time: people are living longer, while fewer children are being born.

The result is a rapidly ageing population and a shrinking working-age population. A larger elderly population can increase demand for healthcare, pensions and long-term care, while a smaller workforce can create challenges for tax revenues, labour supply and economic growth.

The 107,677 figure therefore represents more than a longevity milestone. It also highlights the structural demographic changes Japan is managing as the proportion of older residents rises and the overall population contracts.