The number of Japanese 90 or older stood at 2.06 million as of last week, topping 2 million for the first time, according to the latest government estimate released for Respect for the Aged Day on Monday.

Data gathered by the internal affairs ministry also show that a record 7.7 million people aged 65 or older had a job as of last year, accounting for 11.9 percent of all employed people.

The figure underlines the growing contribution of seniors in the economy as Japan's working population shrinks.