The health ministry statistics released on Tuesday show Japan now has 107,677 centenarians, up 7914 from 2025 and exceeding the 100,000 mark for the first time.
Almost 88 per cent of them are women.
Kyoto resident Fuyo Kishimoto was recently recognised as the oldest Japanese woman at age 114.
Japan's oldest male is 112-year-old Hikaru Kato from Kumamoto in southern Japan.
The figures were released to mark this year's September 15 Respect the Aged day, when healthy and active centenarians are honoured by the government with a letter from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and a silver sake cup.
"I'm very pleased that many people are living a long, healthy and active lives," Health Minister Kenichiro Ueno told reporters, citing progress in medical technology, healthy lifestyle and diet as contributing factors.
Ueno noted the importance of maintaining a sustainable social security system as the population continues to age and decline.
Many younger people, however, are not optimistic about their future.
The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research last week released the results of a survey indicating more than 20 per cent of both men and women who are single and aged between 18 and 34 have no intention of ever marrying, with nearly half saying they see no benefit in marriage.
Ueno acknowledged the reasons for marriage reluctance among young people include the high costs of raising and educating children and the mental and physical burden on working parents.
He said the government would continue addressing their concerns and attempt to turn around problems related to Japan's ageing population and dwindling births.
Japan's drastic population decline is inevitable, experts say, noting the country's total fertility rate dropped to a record low 1.14 in 2025, far below the 2.1 children needed to be born to each Japanese woman to maintain the current population.
Japan's total population during the 2020 census stood at 126 million, almost 30 per cent of which were 65 or older.
Experts estimate there will be a decline to 87 million by 2070 with nearly 40 per cent aged 65 or older, according to the national institute.
There were 153 people aged 100 or older in Japan when centenarian surveys began in 1963.
They exceeded 1000 in 1981 and surpassed 10,000 in 1998, according to the health ministry.
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