Japan is the country in the world with the highest proportion of centenarians in its population. In fact, one in every 3500 Japanese is 100 years of age or older. Some other developed countries, most notably Italy, are not far behind.

This increased longevity, combined with reduced fertility is leading to an ageing of the human population worldwide. Japan and Italy are just the leading edge of this global meta-trend that will have significant implications for business strategy everywhere.