“What’s Their Secret?”: Japan Sets New Record With Over 107,000 Centenarians for 56th Year in a Row
- Japan recorded 107,677 people aged 100 and older as of 1 September 2026, setting a new national record
- Women made up nearly 88% of all centenarians, with 94,298 women compared with 13,379 men
- The milestone has prompted curiosity about the factors behind Japan’s high number of people living beyond 100
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Source: Getty Images
Japan has done it again. The country now has more than 107,000 people aged 100 and older, setting a new national record as of 1 September 2026. What makes the figure even more striking is that the number has continued to climb, reaching 107,677 this year.
An ABC News segment shared the milestone on 15 September 2026, pairing the announcement with sweeping aerial footage of Japan's pagodas, forested castles and tranquil autumn waterways.
Who is living longest in Japan?
Women account for nearly 88% of all centenarians in the country. Japan recorded 94,298 women aged 100 and older, compared with 13,379 men.
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The country's oldest people have also reached remarkable ages, with the oldest woman aged 114 and the oldest man aged 112, according to Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
The figures have fuelled curiosity about what factors may be contributing to Japan's high number of people living beyond the century mark.
Why are so many Japanese people living to 100?
The record has prompted questions around everything from diet and lifestyle to family structure and community care.
While individual viewers have offered their own explanations online, these comments do not establish a single reason for Japan's longevity figures.
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare recorded 107,677 people aged 100 and older as of 1 September 2026, with the figure representing an increase of 7,914 from the previous year.
View the TikTok video below:
People react to Japan's record number of centenarians
Viewers had a lot to say in the comments on the page:
@Krissy🍭 asked:
"Is their a quality of life way better than ours? Their water is cleaner. Their food is cleaner… and the people they surround, and the quality of life is just better"
@JAHLOW offered an explanation:
"Because traditionally, the Japanese take care of their elders and together with the whole family as America, there's a lot higher numbers of elderly in nursing homes, not getting their emotional and physical needs met, and I guarantee the food has a lot to do with it as well"
@Stac simply wanted answers:
"Wow, OK, what's their diet? What's their secrets?"
@Blue Wolf pointed to family history:
"It's genetics. My great-grandma was 100, her sister 102, her other sister 103. My grandma was 99."
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Source: Briefly News
