Volume 26 - Article 11 | Pages 239–252  

The mystery of Japan's missing centenarians explained

By Yasuhiko Saito, Vanessa Yong, Jean-Marie Robine

Abstract

This report elucidates the issue of Japan’s missing centenarians, which was uncovered in 2010. We provide the latest figures from verification efforts, discuss sources of centenarian information in Japan, examine possible causes, and evaluate the effect of the missing centenarians on official statistics. In Japan 234,354 people registered before 1910 remained on the family registers in 2010, without being crossed out. They would have been 100 years old at least and represent 0.5% of the births recorded between 1872 and 1910. The impact of this group on life expectancy statistics, however, is effectively nil.

Author's Affiliation

• Yasuhiko Saito - Nihon University, Japan EMAIL
• Vanessa Yong - Nihon University, Japan EMAIL
• Jean-Marie Robine - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), France EMAIL

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Trends in healthy life expectancy in Japan: 1986 - 2004
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The question of the human mortality plateau: Contrasting insights by longevity pioneers
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Occupational inequalities in health expectancies in France in the early 2000s: Unequal chances of reaching and living retirement in good health
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Arthur Roger Thatcher's contributions to longevity research: A Reflexion
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Change in the Prevalence of Diseases Among Older Americans: 1984-1994
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