Overview
- Japan's health ministry announced on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026, that the country now counts 107,677 people aged 100 or older, the first time the total has exceeded 100,000.
- About 88% of those centenarians are women, continuing a steady rise the ministry has recorded every year since 1963.
- Health minister Kenichiro Ueno warned the surge is straining the social security system and the ministry has asked for roughly $218 billion for next year's pensions and medical-care budget.
- Officials say the country will need an estimated 2.4 million elder-care workers in 2026 and are expanding foreign recruitment and visa programs to fill the gap after earlier skilled-worker admits reached about 66,000.
- The official count comes with a caution: a 2010 audit found more than 230,000 registry entries for people aged 100+ that could not be verified, and the National Institute projects Japan's population will fall to about 87 million by 2070, increasing long-term pressure on care and pensions.