Japan's centenarians top 40,000 - Honorable Oldies

The number of Japanese centenarians has doubled in the past six years to a record high of more than 40,000, with women dominating the list of those whose lives have spanned more than a century, the government said on Friday.Japan will have 40,399 people aged 100 or older this month, surpassing the previous record of 36,276 last year, the Health and Welfare Ministry said in an report marking a September 21 national holiday honoring the elderly. More than 86 per cent are women. ( as of January 2008, the USA had 96,548 centenarians ).