Japan Has 100,000+ Centenarians. What Can India Learn About Longevity?
As of September 2026, Japan had 107,677 centenarians, the highest number ever recorded and the first time the country has crossed the 100,000 mark. The number has increased for 56 consecutive years.
But the more interesting question isn't simply why are so many Japanese people living to 100?
It's, "What can we learn from Japan about living longer - and living well for longer?"
India is entering its own major ageing transition. The country's population aged 60 and above is projected to increase from around 153 million in 2022 to 347 million by 2050, when older adults could account for nearly 21% of the population.
That means longevity isn't a conversation that belongs only to today's centenarians.
If you're 50, 60 or 70 today, the more relevant question is: What can you do now to make the next 20, 30 or even 40 years healthier, more independent and more fulfilling?
Japan doesn't provide a magic formula for reaching 100. But its experience offers some useful lessons.
Here are 6 Japanese Habits Worth Paying Attention to.
1. Move daily, not occasionally.
One of the simplest lessons is also one of the easiest to underestimate: Movement needs to be part of everyday life.
Walking, gardening, household activities, commuting on foot and other forms of regular movement can keep physical activity woven into daily routines rather than making exercise something that happens only during a scheduled workout.
Research among older Japanese adults has found that physical activity, dietary variety and social interaction were each associated with lower risk of developing functional disability. The combination of all three behaviours was associated with an even lower risk in the study population.
What Can You Do?
Take a 20–30 minute walk every day.
Break up long periods of sitting.
Take the stairs when comfortable and safe.
Garden, walk your dog, shop locally or do household activities yourself where practical.
Add age-appropriate strength and balance exercises to your week.
Track your daily steps or active minutes if that motivates you.
The goal: maintain the strength, balance and mobility that allow you to remain independent.-
2. Eat for your future self.
Japanese dietary patterns have attracted considerable research because they traditionally include a wide variety of foods, including vegetables, fish, soy products, seaweed and other plant foods.
In a large Japanese cohort study, greater adherence to a Japanese dietary pattern was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
Other research among older Japanese adults has found associations between Japanese dietary patterns and lower prevalence of sarcopenia - the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength.
What can you do?
Instead of looking for a “longevity food,” build a longevity eating pattern.
Include vegetables and fruit regularly.
Prioritise adequate protein to help maintain muscle as you age.
Include a variety of whole and minimally processed foods.
Be mindful of portion sizes.
Keep highly processed foods, excess sugar and excessive salt as occasional rather than everyday staples.
Don't chase restrictive diets or supplements simply because they're marketed as “anti-ageing.”
The goal: eat in a way your 80-year-old self will thank you for.
3. Stay connected deliberately.
Retirement can dramatically change your social routine. The colleagues, clients and professional networks that once filled your week may disappear almost overnight.
Japan's experience reinforces the importance of social participation and community as people age. Research among older Japanese adults has linked social participation with healthier ageing outcomes.
What can you do?
Don't leave your social life to chance.
Schedule at least one social activity every week.
Join a club, class, walking group or community.
Reconnect with friends you've gradually lost touch with.
Volunteer or mentor someone.
Make plans that get you out of the house.
If your children live abroad, create regular video-call routines rather than relying on occasional conversations.
Consider living somewhere that naturally facilitates social interaction.
The goal: build a life where you have people to call, places to go and reasons to leave the house.
Have a reason to wake up.
Japan has a word that has become globally recognised in conversations about purpose: Ikigai. It is often translated simply as “a reason for being” or “what makes life worth living,” although the concept is more nuanced than the popular internet versions of the word suggest.
Research among Japanese older adults has found that having ikigai was associated with a range of subsequent physical, psychological and social outcomes.
But purpose doesn't have to mean finding another career after retirement.
What can you do?
Ask yourself: “What will make me want to get out of bed on a Monday morning when I no longer have to go to work?”
Then actively build around your answer.
Teach something you're good at.
Take up a hobby you've postponed.
Learn a new language or skill.
Volunteer.
Travel with purpose rather than simply filling time.
Spend more time with grandchildren.
Mentor younger people.
Start a small business or consulting practice if that's meaningful to you.
Contribute to your local community.
The goal: don't retire from purpose just because you've retired from employment.
Catch problems early on.
Healthy ageing isn't just about what you do when you're healthy. It's also about how early you respond when something changes.
Regular health check-ups, preventive care, maintaining strength and mobility, paying attention to hearing and vision, and discussing changes with your doctor can all be part of a long-term approach to maintaining independence.
Japan's broader ageing strategy has also placed considerable emphasis on prevention alongside healthcare and long-term care. Its community-based care model is designed to integrate healthcare, nursing care, prevention, housing and everyday-life support.
Small problems are often easier to manage than crises.
What can you do?
If walking has become more difficult, address it.
If you're losing strength, address it.
If you're socially withdrawing, address it.
If managing the house is becoming harder, address it.
The goal: don't wait for a crisis to make a plan.
Plan for the decades you're not used to thinking about.
This may be the most important lesson of all. When people plan for retirement, they often ask:
“How much money will I need to stop working?” But a longer life requires a much bigger question: “How do I want to live for the decades after I stop working?”
Japan's experience shows that longevity creates needs that go far beyond healthcare.
Its Community-Based Integrated Care System aims to bring together housing, medical care, long-term care, prevention and daily-life support, allowing older adults to continue living in familiar communities for as long as possible.
For an individual and their family, that means thinking ahead about:
What can you do?
Have your “80-year-old conversation” now. Sit down with your spouse or family and discuss:
Housing: Could you comfortably live in your current home at 80?
Healthcare: How close are you to appropriate medical facilities?
Care: Who would help if you needed assistance with daily activities?
Finances: Have you accounted for a potentially 20–30+ year retirement?
Insurance: Do you understand what your current policies actually cover?
Legal: Are your nominations, wills and important documents organised?
Family: Does someone you trust know where your important information is?
Children abroad: What happens if your primary caregivers live in another country?
The goal: make decisions while you're healthy and independent, rather than during a crisis.
What Japan's Experience Can Teach India
India doesn't need to copy Japan. Our cultures, family structures, healthcare systems, cities and economic realities are different. But Japan gives us a glimpse of what happens when people routinely live into their 80s, 90s and beyond.
And the lesson is simple:
Longevity requires an ecosystem.
Healthy habits help us maintain our physical and mental capacity.
Strong social connections help us maintain belonging and purpose.
Preventive healthcare can help identify problems earlier.
Age-friendly housing can support independence as needs change.
Care planning can reduce the pressure of making decisions during a crisis.
Financial and legal planning can give families greater clarity as life changes.
Japan has spent decades adapting its systems to an ageing population. India now has the opportunity to think ahead as its own older population grows.
UNFPA projects that India's 80+ population will grow particularly rapidly between 2022 and 2050, making the needs of the “oldest old” an increasingly important part of the ageing conversation.
That means preparing for longevity isn't something we should leave to the future. For many of us, the future is already here.
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