Japan centenarian numbers reach record high at nearly 100,000, with 88% of them women

A demographic crisis is gripping Japan as its population ages and shrinks. -- PHOTO: AFP

TOKYO (AFP): The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan has hit a record high of nearly 100,000, with almost 90 percent of them women, ministry data showed on Friday.

The figures underscore the demographic crisis gripping the world's fourth-biggest economy as its population ages and shrinks.