Centenarians in Japan set to number over 50,000 for 1st time
News On Japan via Mainichi -- Sep 14
The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older is expected to again set a new record this year, topping 50,000 for the first time, a health ministry survey ahead of Respect for the Aged Day showed Friday.
The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry survey, conducted annually since 1963, showed that centenarians are projected to total 51,376 as of Sept. 15, up 3,620 from a year earlier, marking the 42nd consecutive year of increase.
Women accounted for a record 87.3 percent of all centenarians this year. They numbered 44,842, up 3,248 from a year earlier. Male centenarians totaled 6,534, up 372. It was the 42nd straight year of rise for women and 32nd consecutive year of increase for men.
Japan's oldest person is Jiroemon Kimura, a 115-year-old man from Kyotango, Kyoto Prefecture. He was born April 19, 1897. He is currently recognized as the world's oldest male by the Guinness Book of Records.
Source: Mainichi
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