TOKYO, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The number of Japan's centenarians rose for the 55th straight year to a record 99,763, an increase of 4,644 from the previous year, government data showed Friday.

There are an average of 80.58 centenarians per 100,000 people in the country, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, which released the data ahead of Respect for the Aged Day holiday, which falls on Sept. 15.

Women accounted for about 88 percent of those aged 100 or older, at 87,784, while the number of male centenarians stood at 11,979, according to the ministry.

The prefecture with the highest ratio of centenarians per 100,000 residents was Shimane in western Japan at 168.69, ranking first for the 13th consecutive year.

The average life expectancy of Japanese people was 87.13 for women and 81.09 for men in 2024.

The Japanese government started the centenarian survey in 1963, when the number stood at 153. The figure surpassed 1,000 in 1981 and 10,000 in 1998. ■