Overview
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications reported on Sunday that Japan's population aged 65 and over rose by about 20,000 to 36.24 million, raising the national aging rate to a record 29.6 percent.
- The number of employed people aged 65 and older reached a record 9.43 million, marking the 22nd straight year of growth in senior employment and meaning about one in four seniors now works.
- Tokyo's government estimated on Sept. 15 that about 3.133 million residents are 65 or older, the highest figure since the city began producing such estimates in 1989, with women outnumbering men by roughly 1.3 to 1.
- Tokyo's 75-and-older group grew to about 1.87 million while the 65–74 cohort fell slightly, a shift that raises demand for long-term care and age-specific medical services in the capital.
- These official updates build on decades of low birthrates and population aging and suggest growing pressure on pensions, health care, social services and the labor market as Japan plans policy responses for an older society.