Overview
- The Sept. 1 tally rose by 4,644 from a year earlier, according to the Health Ministry.
- Women account for roughly 88% of Japan's centenarians.
- The oldest Japanese is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa of Nara, and the world's oldest living person is Britain's Ethel Caterham at 116.
- Officials say the swelling ranks of the very old are driving higher health-care costs even as the workforce that funds social systems shrinks.
- August data show Japan's population fell by about 900,000 in 2024, and outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has labeled the situation a "silent emergency" and pledged flexible hours and free daycare.