The total number of Japanese people aged 90 and older has topped 2 million for the first time, with a record 7.7 million people aged 65 and older earning wages in some fashion, according to the latest population estimate released by the Japanese government.
The data, released ahead of Monday’s Respect-for-the-Aged Day, are the clearest demonstration yet of the rapid graying of a nation where more people of retirement age remain gainfully employed amid a shrinking population, Japan Today reported.
The number of people aged 90 or older stood at 120,000 in Japan in 1980 and has been on the rise since, reaching 1.02 million in 2004. As of September 2017, the population of the age group had doubled to 2.06 million.
Meanwhile, the number of elderly people -- defined as those aged 65 or older -- who have jobs increased to a record 7.7 million in 2016.
“Elderly people are eager to work and more companies are accepting them,” an official in charge of the statistics said.
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