Japan is now home to more than 100,000 people aged 100 or over

The number of people aged 100 years or more in Japan surpassed 100,000 for the first time, according to newly released government figures. Japan’s Health and Welfare Ministry statistics released Tuesday confirmed the milestone, showing that Japan now has 107,677 centenarians, up 7,914 from the previous year. 1:40 ‘I just do what I want’: 3 friends over 100, celebrate milestone birthdays in Calgary nursing home Story continues below advertisement Of the people over 100, 13,379 are male and 94,298 are female, meaning women made up about 88 per cent of the total.The figures were released on Sept. 15, known in Japan as Respect the Aged Day, when centenarians are honoured by the government with a letter from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and a silver sake cup. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. The number of centenarians nationwide has grown steadily since the early 1960s. There were 153 centenarians in 1963, when the Elderly Welfare Act was ratified; the number surpassed 1,000 in 1981 and reached 10,000 in 1998, exceeding 50,000 in 2012.“I’m very pleased that many people are living a long, healthy and active live...