Centenarians top 80,000 for 1st time in Japan

The number of people aged 100 or above in Japan has surpassed 80,000 for the first time amid the rapid aging of the country's population, Report says, citing TASS.

The number of centenarians rose 9,176 from the previous year to 80,450 as of Tuesday for the 50th consecutive yearly increase, with women accounting for 88.2 percent of the total, according to the data released by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministr on September 15.

Centenarians marked the largest annual increase with the number of men rising 1,011 from last year to 9,475 and women up 8,165 to 70,975, the tally showed. The ministry estimated the figures based on resident registry data before the Respect for the Aged Day holiday, which falls next Monday.

Japan's average life expectancy was 87.45 for women and 81.41 for men in 2019, both record highs, according to health ministry data released in July this year.

Kane Tanaka, a 117-year-old resident of Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, is the oldest Japanese woman. She has been recognized as the oldest living person in the world by Guinness World Records.