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Japan Science

Japan Sets Record: Nearly 100,000 People Aged Over 100 (bbc.com) 67

Posted by EditorDavid from the memories-of-1925 dept.
The oldest person living in Japan is 114 years old, reports the BBC. But "The number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has risen to a record high of nearly 100,000, its government has announced." Setting a new record for the 55th year in a row, the number of centenarians in Japan was 99,763 as of September, the health ministry said on Friday. Of that total, women accounted for an overwhelming 88%... Health minister Takamaro Fukoka congratulated the 87,784 female and 11,979 male centenarians on their longevity and expressed his "gratitude for their many years of contributions to the development of society"....

The higher life expectancy is mainly attributed to fewer deaths from heart disease and common forms of cancer, in particular breast and prostate cancer. Japan has low rates of obesity, a major contributing factor to both diseases, thanks to diets low in red meat and high in fish and vegetables. The obesity rate is particularly low for women, which could go some way to explaining why Japanese women have a much higher life expectancy than their male counterparts... But it's not just diet. Japanese people tend to stay active into later life, walking and using public transport more than elderly people in the US and Europe...

However, several studies have cast doubt on the validity of global centenarian numbers, suggesting data errors, unreliable public records and missing birth certificates may account for elevated figures. A government audit of family registries in Japan in 2010 uncovered more than 230,000 people listed as being aged 100 or older who were unaccounted for, some having in fact died decades previously. The miscounting was attributed to patchy record-keeping and suspicions that some families may have tried to hide the deaths of elderly relatives in order to claim their pensions.

Japan Sets Record: Nearly 100,000 People Aged Over 100 More | Reply

Japan Sets Record: Nearly 100,000 People Aged Over 100

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  • This works out pretty well for them. (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Considering the declining birthrate there, having people hang around longer will help out.

  • It asks the question why don't kids play outside anymore and then in the next frame there's a picture of a pretty typical American city with absolutely no sidewalks let alone Parks or anything and the subtitle "the outside".

    You give up a portion of your life in exchange for cars and a car centric civilization. And I guess for most people they think it's worth it.

    • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

      by alvinrod ( 889928 )
      Did you find your way over to r/fuckcars or something?

      Japan had a massive car culture of their own and the Greater Tokyo Area is regarded as the largest metro area in the world.

      Kids don't play outside as much for a variety of reasons. Smaller family sizes make parents more protective, and ubiquitous computers have made inside entertainment plentiful and inexpensive. Urbanization plays a part as well, but it's by no means the only culprit.

      • Japan had a massive car culture of their own and the Greater Tokyo Area is regarded as the largest metro area in the world.

        A big difference is that in Japan there is often a choice. It is true that there is a big car culture, there are people for whom cars is their hobby. But for getting to work, going out to meet with friends, popping out to the shops, or going on holiday, people (particularly in cities or towns) have a variety of transport options, any of which they might choose in the right circumstances.

        • Didn't Mr Miyagi have like, 20 cars?

        • Japan had a massive car culture of their own and the Greater Tokyo Area is regarded as the largest metro area in the world.

          A big difference is that in Japan there is often a choice. It is true that there is a big car culture, there are people for whom cars is their hobby. But for getting to work, going out to meet with friends, popping out to the shops, or going on holiday, people (particularly in cities or towns) have a variety of transport options, any of which they might choose in the right circumstances.

          True about having more of a choice of practical mass transit in Japan compared to the US. The US is not a mass transit friendly country. New York City and maybe San Francisco are the only cities in the entire country with mass transit systems that are practical for going from any address in the city to another address. In contrast, Tokyo and most sizable cities in Japan can be navigated easily by train and bus, from anywhere to anywhere in the city.

          Furthermore, Japan actively discourages car driving in s

          • Furthermore, Japan actively discourages car driving in several ways. Car registration fees and road tolls are far higher compared to the US. To even buy a car in Japan requires proving that one has a dedicated parking spot. Also, many companies don't allow their employees to drive to work. Many companies subsidize mass transit for commutes, and these mass transit commutes are covered by the company for accidents, in contrast to car commutes which are not covered

            You make some excellent points which are often not well known.

            Japanese companies actually fully cover the cost of the commute of their employees. Prior to covid, the cost of a monthly pass would be paid together with your salary. This was in practice even better than paying for the monthly commute, because the maonthly pass would partially pay for any other non-commute trips on the weekend, or after work. With covid, many companies changed to a claim-per-trip system, which was not quite as beneficial to the

          • sanfran?

            Chicago exists bro...

      • I am also aware that they have a functioning public transportation system to the point where it is possible to live in many places in Japan that aren't one of the two big cities and still not own a car.

        In America outside of some special circumstances unless you live in San Francisco or New York City you're going to own a car. There might be a few places in La you can pull it off too.

        I cannot as an American for example get on a train and go hardly anywhere. My choices are an expensive plane ticket or

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          It's true, public transport in Japan is generally a lot better than elsewhere. The trains in particular are excellent. Busses are more hit and miss. Their busses are tiny too, to the point where I can't sit in the normal seats on some of them because there isn't enough leg room.

          There are lots of places to park a bike too. Many stations have rental bike parks, for example. I've seen bikes parked at bus stops too. Not chained up or anything, because theft is so low that there is no need.

        • sanfran?

          Chicago exists bro.

      • Cars can't be manufactured in significant volumes in rsilvergun's communist utopia, therefore the sour grapes propaganda that cars are bad. Only the elites and the ones in power will have the burden of owning cars and that's in addition to the suffering they face living in palatial mansions.

    • You give up a portion of your life in exchange for cars and a car centric civilization. And I guess for most people they think it's worth it.

      I have no idea about Japan but I live in the city and I can drive for an hour and be far enough from civilization that if I don't return I might never be found. Indeed unless you consider an urban park to be adequate, a car - whether owned, borrowed, or rented - will get you much closer to actual wilderness than transit ever will. Ironically car centric culture can actually get people closer to nature, should they choose to do so.

      • Re:Reminds me of a meme (Score:4, Interesting)

        by hadleyburg ( 823868 ) on Sunday September 14, 2025 @05:25PM (#65659414)

        a car - whether owned, borrowed, or rented - will get you much closer to actual wilderness than transit ever will. Ironically car centric culture can actually get people closer to nature, should they choose to do so.

        That's true - a car is a good way to escape the city and get close to nature.

        I think the problem is when cars become the sole choice for moving around in general. When the city is designed such that cycling is too hard, walking is impractical, and public transport is unappealing... and you end up using the car even for short trips. In that situation, you find that your whole life is basically sitting down. If you want exercise, you need to make special time for it.

        • It's like those people who buy a $60,000 parking lot princess so they can haul a couch twice a year.

          You could have saved yourself 20 grand and let your relatives pay for delivery.

          • In Japan, in the rural areas, people are more likely to use cars as a workhorse.

            But in cities like Tokyo, most office workers don't use a car to commute. Yet people do still own a car. For those who use the car infrequently, I liken this to someone in the US owning a sailboat. They like sailing, and may use it on the weekend, but it would be inaccurate to say they use the sailboat to get from A to B.

            • In Japan, in the rural areas, people are more likely to use cars as a workhorse.

              But in cities like Tokyo, most office workers don't use a car to commute. Yet people do still own a car. For those who use the car infrequently, I liken this to someone in the US owning a sailboat. They like sailing, and may use it on the weekend, but it would be inaccurate to say they use the sailboat to get from A to B.

              Yeah this would be in keeping with the whole getting away from the city thing. I also know people who own cars but bike and take transit most places. Owning a basic car you don't drive much is not a huge expense for a lot of people, much less so than most boats.

          • Around here? A LOT. We have numerous Jeeps and Subarus covered in mud. Your original point was also bullshit, having cars around doesn't reduce the number of parks or other places where kids can play, AND the "meme" to which you referred has little to nothing to do with the summary.

        • a car - whether owned, borrowed, or rented - will get you much closer to actual wilderness than transit ever will. Ironically car centric culture can actually get people closer to nature, should they choose to do so.

          That's true - a car is a good way to escape the city and get close to nature.

          I think the problem is when cars become the sole choice for moving around in general. When the city is designed such that cycling is too hard, walking is impractical, and public transport is unappealing... and you end up using the car even for short trips. In that situation, you find that your whole life is basically sitting down. If you want exercise, you need to make special time for it.

          Check out my reply to Kernel Kurtz. I'm interested in the solutions for my area, and a lot of others with similar issues.

          I'll note most of these small communities have county run small buses for seniors and others who may need them. But we're talking about maybe 10 person microbuses.

          But PA has an issue. Mountainous terrain, some areas that are more or less wilderness. and many small hamlets with a few hundred, maybe a thousand people tops. But they add up. I think the urban mass transit paradigm runs

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Japanese streets often don't have pavements/sidewalks either. Major roads often do, but smaller roads often don't, especially around homes. Sometimes there is a white line and a ~30cm area where you can kind of walk.

        Many roads are poorly lit too. Street lighting is far from universal, and I've spent a lot of time wondering around in close to pitch darkness in urban areas. Very unlike the UK where everywhere is well lit.

        Speed limits are lower, 30 kph (20 mph*) around where people live. Lots of cyclists. Lowe

      • You give up a portion of your life in exchange for cars and a car centric civilization. And I guess for most people they think it's worth it.

        I have no idea about Japan but I live in the city and I can drive for an hour and be far enough from civilization that if I don't return I might never be found. Indeed unless you consider an urban park to be adequate, a car - whether owned, borrowed, or rented - will get you much closer to actual wilderness than transit ever will. Ironically car centric culture can actually get people closer to nature, should they choose to do so.

        I live in a small city where we have a sorta good mass transit system, rent-a-ebike, and new roads are built with full bike lanes - although the bicyclists seem to prefer riding abreast the whole way to the center line.

        But like your case, a person can drive north, and be in wilderness. Population 0 people per square mile, other than some camps. No power, no gas stations. Breathtakingly beautiful, with narrow valleys, with sudden 2000 foot rises on either side. And being in the ridge and valley region of

    • It asks the question why don't kids play outside anymore and then in the next frame there's a picture of a pretty typical American city with absolutely no sidewalks let alone Parks or anything and the subtitle "the outside".
      You give up a portion of your life in exchange for cars and a car centric civilization. And I guess for most people they think it's worth it.

      Except that I spent some years growing up in dense, street-centric areas, and kids simply played in the streets. Every day. Our substitute for baseball (so as not to damage cars or windows) was "whiffle ball", with hollow plastic balls and bats. In the summers especially, we spent literally all day outside. In the streets. For kids who did this too much, the criticism was literally that "you let your kids run the streets".

      Being car-centric has nothing to do with kids activity. The spread of video games and

  • I hate to ask difficult questions, but how many of them were involved with Japan's belligerence in WW2?

    • Why ask? To what end? They surrendered 80 years ago.

      • Why ask? To what end? They surrendered 80 years ago.

        The question was in response to Japan not needing to lock things because of low crime. You just don't want the question asked. Japan might be crime free internally, but do you believe their beliefs about other cultures just disappeared?

        • Having people who've committed past crimes and being crime free are two different things. To answer your question; the truth is in most Asian they are openly racist and no one really bats an eye at it. Racism isn't criminal though, it's just asshole.

    • I hate to ask difficult questions, but how many of them were involved with Japan's belligerence in WW2?

      Are you worried about what "tend to stay active into later life" specifically refers to? /j

    • Re:Hmm (Score:5, Interesting)

      by ZombieCatInABox ( 5665338 ) on Sunday September 14, 2025 @07:37PM (#65659550)

      Those who lived through war are not the ones most likely to repeat it.

      I remember reading about an interview in an old newspaper with one of the last, if not the last, surviving soldier of the American civil war. When asked "What are you the most afraid of ?", his answer was: "That when all of us are gone, it will happen all over again."

    • I hate to ask difficult questions, but how many of them were involved with Japan's belligerence in WW2?

      Yes, ask the Chinese about what happened in Nanking. Ask the Comfort women of Korea. I have to laugh when I hear how civilized and crime free Japan is. Wasn't always so. There was a strong racist component that allowed them to do as they wished with people they considered the other.

      FWIW, there was a strong similarity in the way Europeans felt about the Slavs and other groups around the same time.

  • Low obesity with a generally healthy, low fat, low sugar diet. Lots of walking and cycling rather than car-only. Strong sense of community.

    • This I think more than anything. I recall on one trip being offered a traditional breakfast. It was basically a salad. Contrast that with the western breakfast of fat & sugar. Dessert's are typically not even that sweet. Prices for food are quite high, which means less calories, so even less obesity. Less obesity, less strain on joints, easier to stay active later in life.

      I'd expect most of the centurions are women though. Their work culture I expect cut the number of men via stress.

      • If you were to fault the Japanese lifestyle from a health perspective, you might point out:
        - Smoking. Much better in the last 10 years, but was relatively late to cut down.
        - Salt. Low in sugar and fat, but not always low in salt.
        - Stress. (As stabiesoft points out) The work environment can be stressfull, although this is often balanced by a "all in this together" team spirit.

        But by and large, an American living in Japan will tend to slim down without really trying.

        • Oh man, forgot about the smoking! I was at a convention in the 90's and in the hall itself, smoking disallowed. But just outside the main rooms, the hallways connecting to outside/other rooms, the smoke was thick even with 20+ foot ceiling and wide corridors. Although I don't know if I saw women smoke. In the 90's at least, women engineers were few and far between in Japan, at least the ones visible to westerners attending meetings/customer interface. I recall one meeting with one woman who I assume was an

          • Oh man, forgot about the smoking! I was at a convention in the 90's and in the hall itself, smoking disallowed. But just outside the main rooms, the hallways connecting to outside/other rooms, the smoke was thick even with 20+ foot ceiling and wide corridors. Although I don't know if I saw women smoke. In the 90's at least, women engineers were few and far between in Japan, at least the ones visible to westerners attending meetings/customer interface. I recall one meeting with one woman who I assume was an engineer in a meeting of around 20. She never spoke.

            Drinking too is problematic. My experience was out for drinks every day.

            I don't remember things being extraordinarily salty. I do recall one very high level dinner where small talk was made around the large table and dishes are coming one by one. The head guy is asked something about Japanese cuisine and he admitted he preferred Chinese. Japanese flavors were too delicate in his opinion. I'd have to agree for that dinner anyway. The soup course literally tasted like hot water and there was one sliver of a green onion in mine I could barely see. Delicate indeed. Arguably tasteless.

            I remember a coworker telling me that his doctor had suggested he "cut down" on his smoking. The fact that his doctor hadn't suggested he stop altogether surprised me.

            Drinking is indeed common among salarymen, but with the caveat that the tolerance for alcohol is low. I have heard it posited that these salarymen will become too intoxicated to drink any more before they can drink enough to form an addiction. There may be a partial truth in that.

            Salted food goes well with the drinking. So a group of salarymen

            • Ah, but this was the Japanese biz head who was complaining about tasteless. I've one more funny story. I've worked with many Asians of course in tech. My last real job was a startup with me the only caucausian there. We were doing a celebratory dinner at a Chinese eatery. Nice place. The pres suggested dessert and knew I was not big on Asian ones. Although I do like some moon cakes. Anyway, there was a baskin robbins next door to the restaurant so I counter suggested we all go there. We went. I think he was

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

              When a Japanese doctor says "cut down" on smoking, the patient will take it as a pretty serious warning to try to stop. It's just a cultural thing, using less definitive language but the listener knows what it really means. It's baked into the language. For example it would sound a bit weird if you said "my boss was angry", rather you would say "my boss seemed angry" or "I think my boss is angry", even though you are 100% sure and the listener will be in no doubt either.

              Japanese food is very filling for Wes

              • When a Japanese doctor says "cut down" on smoking, the patient will take it as a pretty serious warning to try to stop. It's just a cultural thing, using less definitive language but the listener knows what it really means. It's baked into the language. For example it would sound a bit weird if you said "my boss was angry", rather you would say "my boss seemed angry" or "I think my boss is angry", even though you are 100% sure and the listener will be in no doubt either.

                Japanese food is very filling for Westerners. You get used to it, but it takes a while. I think it's the amount of protein.

                There is some truth in the adage about getting full quickly, but hungry again an hour later.

      • This I think more than anything. I recall on one trip being offered a traditional breakfast. It was basically a salad. Contrast that with the western breakfast of fat & sugar. Dessert's are typically not even that sweet. Prices for food are quite high, which means less calories, so even less obesity. Less obesity, less strain on joints, easier to stay active later in life.

        I'd expect most of the centurions are women though. Their work culture I expect cut the number of men via stress.

        Might as well do the old joke.

        Q. Why do husbands die before their wives?

        A. Because they want to.

        A great way to piss off the wife, by the way.

    • One question about this remarkable figure, how good is Japan's record-keeping [mprnews.org]? In particular you've got either rural areas where record-keeping was historically poor to nonexistent or urban areas where many records were lost in 1944-45.

  • Good luck paying for all those pensions (Score:3, Insightful)

    by madbrain ( 11432 ) on Sunday September 14, 2025 @04:52PM (#65659362) Homepage Journal

    With very low natality and immigration.

  • Also... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Joe Decker ( 3806 ) on Sunday September 14, 2025 @05:29PM (#65659418) Homepage

    Universal healthcare is also a significant reason why the US loses out to every other rich country in the world in objective metrics of healthcare.

    (e.g., cost, longevity, infant mortality, maternal mortality, etc.)

    • Universal healthcare is also a significant reason why the US loses out to every other rich country in the world in objective metrics of healthcare.

      (e.g., cost, longevity, infant mortality, maternal mortality, etc.)

      That's why almost every 'murrican has left for civilized countries, where the women are strong, the men are beautiful, and all the children are above average. The rest of 'murricans are going to be dead soon, because health care is nonexistent. Planning on celebrating that the cause of all problems on earth will be extinct? The world will finally be at peace, an humanity will finally achieve it's potential.

  • Are they really aged over 100? (Score:4, Informative)

    by BeaverCleaver ( 673164 ) on Sunday September 14, 2025 @05:42PM (#65659430)

    A recent study concluded that areas with a high proportion of centenarians were usually areas with shoddy record keeping and/or high rates of pension fraud. In other words, many of the centenarians were actually younger than they claimed to be.
    One study is here: https://www.biorxiv.org/conten... [biorxiv.org]
    Media coverage here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/0... [nytimes.com]
    and here: https://allthatsinteresting.co... [allthatsinteresting.com]

    • The article does discuss that issue, and it can't be dismissed, but says at least Japan checked and pruned their records in 2010. It was prompted by a really extreme example of pension fraud:

      The national inquiry was launched after the remains of Sogen Koto, believed to be the oldest man in Tokyo at 111, were found in his family home 32 years after his death.

      Wow, they did get greedy didn't they - trying to push it to 110+, as if that wouldn't draw scrutiny. Per wikipedia:

      Two of his relatives were arrested

      • Wow, they did get greedy didn't they - trying to push it to 110+, as if that wouldn't draw scrutiny.

        There's two things here: 1) When the elderly relatives died, their sons and daughters who decided to fraud were already mid-age and beyond. With the fraud running for 32 years, the fraud is uncovered when they already in very old age, made good use of their fraud money, and don't care anymore. Their fraud achieved fully its objectives. 2) It's very hard to get out of this situation. How do you a proper death certificate for for someone you informally buried in the garden many years ago?

  • There's been persistent rumors that there's widespread fraud from families keeping dead elderly on the benefit rolls and collecting their benefits.

  • Or again based on faulty census data and pension fraud?

  • Did you read the article to the end? These number are not verified.

  • Turns out people lying about relatives not dying to continue collecting their old age benefits is actually pretty common.

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