Japan's health ministry has confirmed that more than 100,000 people in the country are now aged 100 or older - a first for the island nation, and a milestone that is simultaneously impressive, adorable, and a demographic time bomb ticking politely in the corner.
Figures show Japan is now home to 107,677 centenarians, the highest number in the world, of which 88% are women. The oldest woman is Kishimoto Fuyo, a 114-year-old from Kyoto City, and the oldest man is Kato Hikaru, a 112-year-old from Kumamoto. Both have presumably earned the right to ignore every piece of health advice the rest of us are still failing to follow.
Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno said he was "delighted that so many people are living long, healthy and active lives", citing progress in medicine and technology. He then also warned of the challenge the country faces in maintaining a sustainable social security system - which is the political equivalent of praising a restaurant's dessert menu while quietly noting the kitchen is on fire.
Experts attribute Japanese longevity to several factors, including a healthy diet and an active lifestyle. The island nation's cuisine predominantly consists of fish, vegetables, and rice - and less saturated fat than many Western diets. Older people also regularly walk, use public transport, cycle and stretch, which is a polite way of saying they are doing everything your doctor told you to do while you were busy ordering takeout.
Japan has been aging for years, and sales of adult nappies have been higher than those for babies for more than a decade. Companies have developed new products for the older population, including a powered exoskeleton to support moving various parts of the body and eyewear that automatically adjusts its focus - because if you can't get younger, you can at least get bionics.
For a population to replace itself, each woman needs to give birth to 2.1 children on average. Last year Japan's total fertility rate dropped to a record low of 1.14, which is not so much a replacement rate as a resignation letter.
The total population is estimated to drop to 87 million by 2070, representing a 30% decline from its peak of 128 million in 2008, according to data from the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research. Residents aged 65 and older currently make up around 30% of the population and are expected to make up nearly 40% by 2070.
Japanese authorities have called the trend an "existential crisis", with Prime Minister Sanae Takichi describing the decline as a "quiet emergency". In 2025, Japan's total population decreased in all 47 prefectures but two, and the rate of decline is accelerating. The government's many programmes and subsidies to encourage young people to have more children do not appear to be boosting birth rates, because apparently you cannot bribe people into wanting a third bedroom.
Experts say the reasons are complex, ranging from lower marriage rates and more women joining the workforce to the increased costs of raising children. While immigration has risen in previous years, foreigners only make up around 3% of the population and opposition to accepting more has grown - a policy position that is, at best, in tension with the arithmetic.
When Japan began its centenarian survey in 1963, there were 153 people aged 100 or over. That figure rose to 1,000 in 1981 and stood at 10,000 by 1998. The most recent figures were released ahead of Japan's annual "Respect for the Aged" public holiday, on which the government honours those turning 100 with a personal letter and traditional sake cup - a gesture that is lovely, and also considerably cheaper than a pension.
Studies have previously 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 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 - proving that even immortality has a paperwork problem.
A mayor in Japan announced her maternity leave - and got the whole country talking. Japan sets record of nearly 100,000 people aged over 100. Japan was the future but it's stuck in the past.