Japan is older than ever before. On this year's Respect for the Aged Day, celebrated Sept. 19, the number of Japanese centenarians topped 47,000, the largest number on record. After the disasters of this year, the large number of centenarians in the country presents a picture of hope for a healthy life with the chance to grow into the wisdom of old age.
The survey was conducted by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry with greater care this year, since last year's survey revealed that pension payments were being made to elderly people with no trace of their registered addresses.
Overall, of course, Japan has continued to age. People over the age of 65 now make up a record 23.3 percent of the population, nearly 30 million people, based on data from the 2010 census. Just fewer than 9 million people in Japan are 80 or older.