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Title: Japan Sets Record: Nearly 100,000 People Aged Over 100
Link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/09/14/2...
The oldest person living in Japan is 114 years old, reports the BBC. But "The
number of people in Japan aged 100 or older has risen to a record high of
nearly 100,000, its government has announced." Setting a new record for the
55th year in a row, the number of centenarians in Japan was 99,763 as of
September, the health ministry said on Friday. Of that total, women accounted
for an overwhelming 88%... Health minister Takamaro Fukoka congratulated the
87,784 female and 11,979 male centenarians on their longevity and expressed
his "gratitude for their many years of contributions to the development of
society".... The higher life expectancy is mainly attributed to fewer deaths
from heart disease and common forms of cancer, in particular breast and
prostate cancer. Japan has low rates of obesity, a major contributing factor
to both diseases, thanks to diets low in red meat and high in fish and
vegetables. The obesity rate is particularly low for women, which could go
some way to explaining why Japanese women have a much higher life expectancy
than their male counterparts... But it's not just diet. Japanese people tend
to stay active into later life, walking and using public transport more than
elderly people in the US and Europe... However, several studies have cast
doubt on the validity of global centenarian numbers, suggesting data errors,
unreliable public records and missing birth certificates may account for
elevated figures. A government audit of family registries in Japan in 2010
uncovered more than 230,000 people listed as being aged 100 or older who were
unaccounted for, some having in fact died decades previously. The miscounting
was attributed to patchy record-keeping and suspicions that some families may
have tried to hide the deaths of elderly relatives in order to claim their
pensions.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
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