Japan crossed the 100,000 mark for the first time this September.
I find that encouraging. As an investor and a parent, it also makes me question what we are planning for.
Retire at 65 and live to 100. That is 35 years without a salary—potentially almost as long as your working life.
Three questions follow.
First, money. Does your retirement plan still work if you live longer than expected?
Second, care. What happens if one spouse needs daily help while the other remains independent?
Third, work. Would you want to stop working completely—or have the freedom to keep doing something meaningful?
These figures do not tell us how long any individual will live. But they make a long retirement harder to dismiss.
I would like to see my children celebrate my hundredth birthday without anyone having to worry about paying for my care.
A longer life should be something we can afford to welcome.
What needs the biggest rethink: how we save and invest, when we retire, or how we provide care?
Source: MHLW, September 2026 centenarian survey.
