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Japan Centenarians Reach Record High at Nearly 100,000

This picture taken on September 7, 2025 shows a yakatabune sightseeing boat sailing along the Sumida river in Tokyo. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
This picture taken on September 7, 2025 shows a yakatabune sightseeing boat sailing along the Sumida river in Tokyo. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
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Japan Centenarians Reach Record High at Nearly 100,000

This picture taken on September 7, 2025 shows a yakatabune sightseeing boat sailing along the Sumida river in Tokyo. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)
This picture taken on September 7, 2025 shows a yakatabune sightseeing boat sailing along the Sumida river in Tokyo. (Photo by Philip FONG / AFP)

The number of people aged 100 or older in Japan has hit a record high of nearly 100,000, with almost 90 percent of them women, ministry data showed on Friday.

The figures underscore the demographic crisis gripping the world's fourth-biggest economy as its population ages and shrinks, AFP reported.

As of September 1, Japan had 99,763 centenarians, up 4,644 year-on-year, with 88 percent of them women, the health ministry said in a statement.

Japan's oldest person is 114-year-old Shigeko Kagawa in the Nara region near Kyoto.

She remained active past 80 years old as an obstetrician-gynecologist and a general doctor, according to the ministry.

"Walking extensively during house calls built strong legs, which are the source of my current vitality," Kagawa was cited as saying in the statement.

She still has good eyesight so she spends the day watching TV, reading newspapers and doing calligraphy.

The world's oldest person is British woman Ethel Caterham, who turned 116 in August, months after the title passed to her following the death of Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas.

Japan is facing a steadily worsening population crisis, as its expanding elderly population leads to soaring medical and welfare costs, with a shrinking labor force to pay for it.

Official data last month showed that the population of Japanese nationals fell by a record amount -- more than 900,000 people -- in 2024.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has called the situation a "quiet emergency,” pledging family-friendly measures such as more flexible working hours and free day care to try and reverse the trend.

However, the government's efforts to slow the decline and aging of its population have yet to yield meaningful results.

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Varieties

Elusive Wolf in South Korea Captured, Returned to Zoo after 9 Days on the Run

In this photo provided by Daejeon Municipality, a veterinarian examines the condition of the male wolf, named Neukgu, at Daejeon O-World theme park in Daejeon, South Korea, Friday, April 17, 2026. (Daejeon Municipality via AP)
In this photo provided by Daejeon Municipality, a veterinarian examines the condition of the male wolf, named Neukgu, at Daejeon O-World theme park in Daejeon, South Korea, Friday, April 17, 2026. (Daejeon Municipality via AP)
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Elusive Wolf in South Korea Captured, Returned to Zoo after 9 Days on the Run

In this photo provided by Daejeon Municipality, a veterinarian examines the condition of the male wolf, named Neukgu, at Daejeon O-World theme park in Daejeon, South Korea, Friday, April 17, 2026. (Daejeon Municipality via AP)
In this photo provided by Daejeon Municipality, a veterinarian examines the condition of the male wolf, named Neukgu, at Daejeon O-World theme park in Daejeon, South Korea, Friday, April 17, 2026. (Daejeon Municipality via AP)

A wolf that escaped from a zoo in the South Korean city of Daejeon was recaptured on Friday after nine days on the run, bringing to a close a saga that gripped the public as the elusive animal evaded earlier capture attempts.

After a number of sightings following the escape of the 2-year-old male wolf, the animal, named Neukgu, was spotted near a highway interchange about 4 km (2.5 miles) from the zoo on Thursday, according to a zoo official.

A search team then successfully recaptured Neukgu at 12:44 a.m. on Friday (1544 GMT on Thursday) using a tranquilizer gun operated by a veterinarian, Reuters reported.

Neukgu was ⁠transported back to ⁠the O-World zoo and was undergoing a health check, the official said, adding his vital signs were normal though vets found and removed a fishing hook from his stomach.

The zoo and an associated theme park were closed after his escape and will take some time to reopen, the official said.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo ⁠welcomed the wolf's safe return and thanked the search party, pledging in a Facebook post to "prepare measures for animal welfare and civil safety in the process of reorganizing (the zoo)."

Neukgu's escape in Daejeon, about 170 km (105 miles) south of the capital Seoul, had captured the nation's attention.

South Korean online message boards were abuzz with news of the recapture, with some posts calling Neukgu an "honorary ambassador for the zoo" and vowing to visit him once it reopened.

Neukgu appeared to have slipped out of the zoo last week ⁠by burrowing under ⁠a fence, a zoo official said at the time.

A nearby elementary school was closed as a precaution, while more than 100 personnel searched for the animal, in an effort that included the use of drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras.

The episode even spawned a cryptocurrency meme coin named "Neukgu", which appeared on decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges a week ago.

President Lee Jae Myung also weighed in on the social media platform X last week, urging authorities to ensure a safe outcome.

Born in 2024, Neukgu is part of a program to restore the Korean wolf, a species considered extinct in the wild.

 

Varieties

Madinah Tops Saudi Cities in Hotel Occupancy in 2025

The hospitality sector in Madinah recorded a strong performance in 2025. (SPA)
The hospitality sector in Madinah recorded a strong performance in 2025. (SPA)
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Madinah Tops Saudi Cities in Hotel Occupancy in 2025

The hospitality sector in Madinah recorded a strong performance in 2025. (SPA)
The hospitality sector in Madinah recorded a strong performance in 2025. (SPA)

The hospitality sector in Madinah recorded a strong performance in 2025, ranking first among cities in Saudi Arabia in hotel occupancy rates, the Saudi Press Agency said on Friday.

The figures reflect growing demand for the destination and the continued growth in tourism activity associated with visits to the Prophet’s Mosque and the region’s historical landmarks.

The growth is supported by continued development in tourism infrastructure and increased investment in accommodation.

It also reflects ongoing efforts to enhance the experience of visitors and Umrah performers, in line with Saudi Vision 2030 goals to develop the tourism sector and improve service quality for pilgrims and visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque. 

Varieties

Mexican Baby Monkey Finds Comfort in Plush Companion

A baby monkey named Yuji drinks milk while receiving care at a special care center at the zoo in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Refugio Ruiz)
A baby monkey named Yuji drinks milk while receiving care at a special care center at the zoo in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Refugio Ruiz)
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Mexican Baby Monkey Finds Comfort in Plush Companion

A baby monkey named Yuji drinks milk while receiving care at a special care center at the zoo in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Refugio Ruiz)
A baby monkey named Yuji drinks milk while receiving care at a special care center at the zoo in Guadalajara, Mexico, Wednesday, April 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Refugio Ruiz)

Yuji, a 6-week-old patas monkey in Mexico, wakes up every day clinging to a stuffed dog. More than a toy, this plush companion acts as a surrogate mom after the tiny primate was rejected by his own mother, Kamaria, a first-time parent unable to form a maternal bond.

Weighing a mere 673 grams (1.4 pounds), Yuji represents the most recent case of assisted rearing at the Guadalajara Zoo in western Mexico.

The story of Yuji has captured the attention of the Mexican public, drawing parallels to Punch, the Japanese macaque that went viral on social media after growing up clinging to a stuffed orangutan following his mother’s rejection, The Associated Press reported.

Unlike Punch, Yuji has not yet had physical contact with other members of his species; he spends most of his time inside a monkey crate at the Guadalajara Zoo’s Comprehensive Center for Animal Medicine and Welfare, CIMBA, where he is under the care of 12 veterinarians and biologists.

No date has been set for Yuji’s transfer to a habitat shared by 12 other adult patas monkeys and three other infants. That will depend on when he is weaned from a milk-only diet and starts an adult diet complete with fruits and vegetables, said veterinarian Iván Reynoso Ruiz, head of the primate section at the Guadalajara Zoo. That could happen when Yuji is around 6 months old, he said.

Just hours after giving birth on March 3, Kamaria began exhibiting irregular behavior. She struggled to hold her firstborn correctly, leaving the infant unable to secure a grip on its mother.

After noticing a problem, keepers separated the mother from her newborn, who weighed just 443 grams (less than a pound) and required immediate placement in an incubator at CIMBA to stabilize his temperature and safeguard his health, Reynoso Ruiz said.

This was the start of the infant's assisted rearing, a process often used by zoos to protect the health and development of at-risk offspring. A caregiver named him Yuji after a popular Japanese manga character.

During his first few weeks, Yuji was under round-the-clock supervision and was bottle-fed fortified milk.

From the start, Yuji was given a stuffed animal for comfort. Reynoso Ruiz explained that the toy fulfills the role of a mother by serving as his primary source of security. To maintain hygiene, staff rotate the original stuffed dog with two other toys — a bear and a monkey — to ensure he always has a clean companion.

To stimulate his development, caregivers outfitted Yuji’s crate with a small hammock and ropes. As he began gaining weight and sleeping for longer intervals, his team adjusted his feeding schedule. Yuji now receives the first of his four daily bottles at 7:00 a.m.

While the stories of Punch and Yuji have been popular on social media, some animal rights advocates oppose the practice of assisted rearing.

Diana Valencia, an animal rights activist, argues that there is no substitute for a natural habitat, and that animals “have the right to be born, grow, develop, and die where they belong.”

Responding to these criticisms, the Guadalajara Zoo’s primate expert emphasized that modern zoos provide a unique opportunity to protect species from global threats. He said the intervention was a matter of life or death, and that Yuji likely would have perished in the wild without a “second chance” at survival.