Japan centenarians reach record high at nearly 100,000  | International

TOKYO, Sept 12, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan has hit a record high of nearly 100,000, with almost 90 percent of them women, ministry data showed on Friday. The figures underscore the demographic crisis gripping the world's fourth-biggest economy as its population ages and shrinks. As of September 1, Japan had 99,763 centenarians, up 4,644 year-on-year, with 88 percent of them women, the health ministry said in a statement. Japan's oldest person is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa in the Nara region near Kyoto. She remained active past 80 years old as an obstetrician-gynecologist and a general doctor, according to the ministry. "Walking extensively during house calls built strong legs, which are the source...