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Japan's population aged over 100 has climbed past 100,000 for the first time, reaching 107,677 as of September, according to government figures released for Respect for the Aged Day, a national observance held annually on Sept. 15.
Data from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare showed that the number of people who have lived beyond a century has now risen for 56 consecutive years.
Compared with last year, the centenarian population increased by 7,914 people. Women continued to make up the overwhelming majority, with 94,298 women aged over 100 compared with 13,379 men.
Japan began keeping official records on people aged 100 and above in 1963, while the total passed 1,000 for the first time in 1981.
The figure later crossed 10,000 in 1998 and 50,000 in 2012 before moving beyond the 100,000 mark this year.
The country's oldest recorded woman is 114-year-old Kishimoto Fuyo, while its oldest man is 112-year-old Kato Hikaru.
Government data also showed that average life expectancy in Japan stands at 87.3 years for women and 81.3 years for men.
The latest figures were released as Japan marked Respect for the Aged Day, when the government publishes statistics focusing on the country's elderly population.
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