The oldest person in the world dies at 116

A Japanese woman, recognized as the world’s oldest person by the Guinness Book of Records, died at the age of 116.

Tomiko Itooka died at a nursing home in the city of Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, according to authorities.

She became the oldest person in the world after the Spanish María Branyas Morera died in August 2024 at the age of 117.

“Mrs. Itooka gave us courage and hope throughout her long life,” Ashiya Mayor Ryosuke Takashima, 27, said in a statement.

“We thank you for that.”

Itooka was born in May 1908, six years before World War I and the same year the Ford Model T automobile was launched in the United States.

She was verified as the world’s oldest person in September 2024 and was presented with the official GWR certificate on Respect for Elderly Day, which is a Japanese holiday celebrated annually to honor the country’s senior citizens. .

Itooka, who was one of three siblings, lived through world wars and pandemics, as well as technological advances.

As a student, he played volleyball and climbed the 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) Mount Ontake twice.

When he was older, he enjoyed bananas and Calpis, a milk soft drink popular in Japan, according to the mayor’s statement.

She married at age 20 and had two daughters and two sons, according to Guinness.

During World War II she managed the office of her husband’s textile factory. She lived alone in Nara after her husband’s death in 1979.

He is survived by a son, a daughter and five grandchildren. According to authorities, a funeral was held with family and friends.

In September, Japan had more than 95,000 people aged 100 or older, of whom 88% were women.

Of the country’s 124 million inhabitants, almost a third are 65 years old or older.

Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born 16 days after Itooka and is 116 years old, is now believed to be the world’s oldest person.