In a fresh sign of the rapid aging of Japan's population, the number of people aged 100 or older is expected to reach a record high of 20,561 by the end of September, the Health Ministry said Tuesday.

Women will account for 84 percent of the number of Japanese centenarians, which is expected to top the 20,000 mark for the first time since the government began compiling the data in 1963, the ministry said in a report.

Japan is home to the world's oldest woman and man. Kamato Hongo, a woman from Japan's southern island of Kyushu and the world's oldest person, turns 116 next Tuesday. Yukichi Chuganji, 114, who is also from Kyushu, is the world's oldest man.

Japan has the world's highest life expectancy, at 78.07 years for men and 84.93 for women.

According to some estimates, Japan will have roughly one person over 65 for every two of working age by 2025, a higher dependency ratio than any other major industrialized nation.

The rapid aging of society and a tumbling birthrate have raised concerns that pension obligations may become unmanageable.

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