Japan has crossed a striking milestone: for the first time, more than 100,000 of its citizens are aged 100 or older. Health ministry figures released in September put the total at 107,677 — a jump of 7,914 on the previous year and the 56th straight annual increase. Back in 1963, when record-keeping began, there were just 153 centenarians in the whole country.
The demographics are lopsided in a familiar direction: women make up 87.6% of the total, at 94,298 people. The oldest woman is Fuyo Kishimoto, a 114-year-old Kyoto resident born in December 1911, while the oldest man is 112-year-old Hikaru Kato from Kumamoto. Life expectancy now sits at 87.33 years for women and 81.35 for men, among the highest figures anywhere in the world.
For visitors, the numbers explain a lot about what you encounter on the ground in Japan. The country's famously reliable healthcare, walkable cities, fresh seasonal food and strong community ties are all part of the longevity story — and they're also part of what makes travelling there so smooth. It's no coincidence that regions like Okinawa built a tourism brand around their long-living residents; the 'Blue Zone' island draws travellers curious about the diet and lifestyle behind it.
There's a sobering flip side, though. Health minister Kenichiro Ueno welcomed the rising numbers while warning that an ageing population puts serious strain on Japan's social security system — a challenge amplified by the country's low birthrate. In practical travel terms, that means an increasingly thinner workforce in hospitality and rural areas, with some small inns, restaurants and regional train services consolidating or closing as populations shrink. Villages in parts of Shikoku, Tohoku and the Japanese Alps are quietly emptying out, even as city hotels boom.
Another 54,294 people will turn 100 during fiscal 2026, so the trend is only heading one way. For travellers, Japan in the coming decade will be a country of two speeds: hyper-efficient megacities on one hand, and quiet, depopulating countryside — often beautiful, often under-visited — on the other. That second Japan is arguably the more rewarding one to explore, and now is a good time to see it before it changes further.