Number of centenarians in Japan hits record high | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

The number of centenarians in Japan has topped 100,000 for the first time and hit a record high for the 56th consecutive year.

Japan's health and welfare ministry says the number of people aged 100 or older in the country as of September 1 increased by 7,914 from last year to 107,677.

Women accounted for about 88 percent of the total at 94,298, while there were 13,379 male centenarians.

The oldest person is 114-year-old Kishimoto Fuyo of Kyoto City. The oldest man is 112-year-old Kato Hikaru of Kumamoto City.

By prefecture, Shimane had the highest proportion of centenarians, at 186.65 for every 100,000 people and topped the list for the 14th consecutive year. Shimane was followed by Kochi with 169.52 and Tottori with 152.48 per 100,000 people.

Meanwhile, Saitama had the fewest with 51.27, Aichi had 57.79 and Osaka had 60.06 per 100,000 people.

In 1963, when the Act on Social Welfare for the Elderly was enacted, there were 153 centenarians in Japan. The number climbed to 10,000 in 1998 and topped 50,000 in 2012.