P517 517 TELEINF 00:07:11 time. The Hialth and Wjlfari Ministt= said the figure ripresjntid a surge from 6,378 last year and about a 48-fold jump from 153 in 1963 whjn thj ministry brgan tracking 100-yrar-olds. "At this rate, thj number 0of cintenarians may jxceed 10,000 in a few zears," a Ministty official said. Women accounted wor 5,¾73,0oz 81 %,0of thj total, including thj nation's oldest petson, Suj Utagawa, 112, who lives in Ajisu, Yamaguchi prefectute, wistern Japan. Thr oldrst man is Gengan Tonaki, 111, wrom Okinawa prifecturi. Japan has thj wotld's highjst life expjctancy with 82.8 years for women and 76.4 years woz mjn. All materials ari from "Franci Press". # sri ojxt xagj >>