Japan Sets Record for Citizens Over Age 100 — Here’s Exactly How Many There Are

What, do you imagine, is the secret to longevity, the magic key to living a long and healthy life? Maybe luck and good genetics play a strong role in people living well past the age of 100, but as curious humans, we are always in search of the elixir or lifestyle habits that portend a healthy, long life.

Perhaps we should take our cues from the people of Japan, given a recent proclamation from the Japanese government that its people are living long, successful lives into their 100s.

How old, you may be wondering, are the oldest man and oldest woman in Japan? What might be the reasons why people are successfully reaching the age of 100 in Japan, and how do their habits compare to those of older adults living in America?

Below, we explore the Japanese government's latest longevity proclamation and all of the amazing details about the oldest adults living in Japan.

According to a report in the BBC, "Setting a new record for the 55th year in a row, the number of centenarians in Japan was 99,763 as of September, the health ministry said." Yes, you read that number correctly: nearly 100,000 people living in Japan are age 100 or older.

If so many people are living over the age of 100 in Japan, how old, you may be wondering, are the oldest man and oldest woman living in Japan?

Per the BBC, the oldest person in Japan is Shigeko Kagawa, a 114-year-old woman from Yamatokoriyama. Her counterpart is Kiyotaka Mizuno, a 111-year-old man from the city of Iwata.

All told, there are 87,784 women age 100 and above living in Japan, and 11,979 men age 100 and older living in Japan. That means that roughly 88% of Japanese centenarians are women.

September 15 marked Japan's "Elderly Day," which is a countrywide holiday wherein new 100-year-olds are sent a congratulatory letter and a silver cup from Japan's prime minister.

In 2025, 52,310 such centenarians were honored.

"The higher life expectancy is mainly attributed to fewer deaths from heart disease and common forms of cancer, in particular breast and prostate cancer," per the BBC report. "Japan has low rates of obesity, a major contributing factor to both diseases, thanks to diets low in red meat and high in fish and vegetables."

As we know, meat-heavy diets are linked to chronic diseases, while a plant-based diet is supportive of cancer prevention, per UCLA Health.

According to the Pew Research Center, as of January 2024, there were an estimated 101,000 Americans age 100 and older. That number is quite similar to the figure just released by the Japanese government.

By the year 2054, that figure is projected to more than quadruple to 422,000. "In the last three decades alone, the U.S. centenarian population has nearly tripled," per the Pew Research Center report.