Centenarians hit a record 92,139 in Japan
According to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the number of people in Japan age 100 or older as of the 15th of September was a record 92,139, up 1,613 from a year earlier and the 53rd consecutive annual rise. Japan has one of the most rapidly ageing populations in the world.
With the world's longest life expectancy, women make up 88.5 percent of the total. Japan's oldest woman is 116 year old Fusa Tatsumi from Osaka Prefecture. The average life expectancy for Japanese women is 87.09 years.
The oldest living man in Japan is 111 year old Gisaburo Sonobe from Chiba Prefecture. The average life span of men in Japan is 81.05 years.
I was surprised to find out the oldest living American woman is California resident Edie Ceccarelli, who is 115 years old. She is almost as old as the oldest Japanese woman. While I don't expect to live so long, I am very interested in these supercentenarians.
3 comments:
I wonder what Fusa-san, my senior in life, is thinking as he turns 116 years old?
I wonder if the trend will go on. My guess is that most of the centenarians of today had a simple and spartan life when they were young, they ate food free from chemicals, they were physically active (walking, farming by hand...) and they were humble and free from stress. As they have grown older medical care and comfort (AC, food supplements, rehabilitation and Zimmer frames...) have become available.
People who are in their forties today started with too much convenience, washing machines, cars, cup noodles and climate-controlled housing. They do not have the robust base today's centenarians have and I am sure they are not as strong, and will not reach such high age.
What do you think?
It's an interesting development, but I wonder what it means for a society to age this much. Will the returement age go up too? How does the health care system cope?
Many of the Japanese cenrenarians seem to be very vital and active still, but Fusa-san doesn't look so good...
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