What we can learn from Japan having more than 100,000 people who are 100 or older?

 

This year, the number of people ages 100 or older in Japan surpassed a record of 100,000.

Japan now has 107,677 centenarians, up 7,914 from the previous year and exceeding the 100,000 mark for the first time. Nearly 88% of them are women.

Kyoto resident Fuyo Kishimoto was recently recognized as the oldest Japanese woman at age 114. Japan’s oldest man is 112-year-old Hikaru Kato from Kumamoto in southern Japan.

 “I’m very pleased that many people are living long, healthy and active lives,” Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno said, citing progress in medical technology, healthy lifestyle and diet as contributing factors.

But more important, how to ageing gracefully?

When Mieko Nagaoka was 100, she published her book entitled: "I'm 100 years old and the world's best active swimmer" before going on to set the first world record for her age group, swimming 1,500m in a 25m pool. At 105 years old, she still enters Masters competitions and currently holds 18 world records.

 Another beloved centurion was Master class sprinter Hidekichi Miyazaki, who passed away in 2019 at 108 years old. Nicknamed “Golden Bolt” after the Olympic Gold medalist Usain Bolt, Miyazaki made headlines at 105 years old when he set the world’s first record for 100m sprint for the 105-and-over age category.

Asked about his performance he replied, “I’m not happy with the time,” echoing the competitive mentality that drives Nagaoka to swim.

Thus this “never losing the competitive spirit” (a healthy rivalry, whether against a near-aged competitor or your younger self), combined with the hope of achievement, seem also to play an important part.

Other attributes include:

Older Japanese adults strongly avoid the meiwaku (being a nuisance) mentality—the desire not to be a burden or cause trouble for family or society, i.e. being self-reliance.

Over 60% of people over 65 stay in the labor force, viewing themselves as productive community members - a strong incentive to keep working as a cog in the social wheel for as long as possible.

According to the Cabinet Office’s Annual Report on The Ageing Society, a staggering 70% of people aged 60-69, and about 50% of people aged 70 and above are either working or engaged in volunteer activities, community activities and hobbies. Seniors are participating in local community centers, group exercise, and peer networks like moai (support circles).

Having a social life that does not rely on young family members is a major factor in engaging in hobbies. Aside from active sports such as swimming (a very popular sport with the senior community due to its rehabilitative benefits), elders are engaged in various activities from traditional calligraphy, flower arrangement, sewing, to taking up musical instruments and dancing.

Moreover, low-impact physical habits like walking, gardening, and stretching are seamlessly woven into everyday routines.

According to Yuko Oguma, associate professor in Health Management Research at the Keio Sports Medicine Research Center, athletic ability has been linked to higher cognitive ability.

“Light exercise, whether stretching, walking daily, working out at the local community center, is effective,” says Oguma. “Not only for cognitive functions but from a social aspect as well. Compared to 10 years ago, the Japanese seniors are healthier, and have a higher quality of living. This is thought to be a combination of better medical aid and understanding of our bodies. Recently, there has been evidence that muscles can continue to strengthen, even in old age, which is contrary to what we believed in. We believed muscles deteriorate with age, but research is finding that not only can we still train and strengthen our muscles, but that it is important.”

Oguma also believes that having so many peers within the society that look out for one another, is an understated factor in ageing gracefully. “Often it is the senior citizens themselves that put together programs within the community. They work among themselves to provide activities, to be more fit or to be included socially. It is this proactiveness that strengthens them.”

Now, Japanese policy makers, companies and communities are focusing more and more on improving the quality of life of their senior citizens.