Centenarian population approaches 59,000 in Japan, 87% of them women
10:02, 12 September 2014
TOKYO. KAZINFORM Japan's centenarian population increased 4,423 from last year to a record 58,820 in September, having remained on the rise since 1971, with women now accounting for 87.1 percent, the welfare ministry said Friday.
The tally is an estimate for Sept. 15, the Respect-for-the-Aged Day holiday, based on resident registry data as of Sept. 1. The ratio of centenarians in the population is 46.21 per 100,000, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. Shimane Prefecture had the highest centenarian density at 90.17. Saitama had the lowest at 26.88M, Kyodo reports.