Japan has set a new milestone, with nearly 100,000 people aged 100 or older living in the country, government figures have revealed, as reported by BBC.

According to the health ministry, the total number of ‘centenarians’ reached 99,763 as of September, marking a record 55th consecutive year of growth. Women make up the overwhelming majority, accounting for 88 percent of the total.

Japan has long been recognised for its remarkable longevity and often hosts the world’s oldest living people. Its population combines a long life expectancy with one of the fastest-aging demographics globally, driven by a healthy diet and persistently low birth rates.

The oldest person in Japan is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa, a woman from Yamatokoriyama, near Nara, while the oldest man is 111-year-old Kiyotaka Mizuno from Iwata. Health Minister Takamaro Fukoka extended his congratulations to the nation’s 87,784 female and 11,979 male centenarians, acknowledging their "many years of contributions to society.”

The announcement comes ahead of Japan’s annual Elderly Day on September 15, when new centenarians receive a congratulatory letter and silver cup from the prime minister. This year, 52,310 people are eligible for the honour.

Japan’s centenarian population has grown dramatically over the decades. When the government first began tracking people aged 100 or older in 1963, there were just 153. By 1981, the number reached 1,000, and by 1998, it surpassed 10,000.

Experts attribute this longevity to lower rates of heart disease and certain cancers, alongside diets rich in fish, vegetables, and low in red meat. Obesity rates, especially among women, remain low, contributing to the significant gender gap in life expectancy.

Beyond diet, active lifestyles also play a role: many elderly Japanese walk regularly, use public transport, and participate in daily group exercises, such as Radio Taiso, a short exercise routine broadcast since 1928.

However, several studies have cast doubt on the validity of global centenarian numbers, suggesting data errors, unreliable public records and missing birth certificates may account for elevated figures.

A government audit of family registries in Japan in 2010 uncovered more than 230,000 people listed as being aged 100 or older who were unaccounted for, some having in fact died decades previously.

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

The national inquiry was launched after the remains of Sogen Koto, believed to be the oldest man in Tokyo at 111, were found in his family home 32 years after his death.