A Japanese woman, Tomiko Itooka, globally recognised as world’s oldest person, has died, aged 116.
Japanese public television station NHK reported on Saturday that Tomiko Itooka died at a retirement home on December 29 in Ashiya in the southern Hyogo prefecture.
The southern city’s mayor, Ryosuke Takashima, confirmed in a statement that Itooka died on December 29 at a nursing home, where she had resided since 2019.
Born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka, near Ashiya, Itooka witnessed a century of history, including world wars, pandemics, and significant technological advancements. Her birth occurred just four months before the launch of the Ford Model T in the United States.
Itooka became the world’s oldest person in August 2024, following the death of Spain’s María Branyas Morera at the age of 117.
“Ms Itooka gave us courage and hope through her long life. We thank her for it,” Ashiya’s mayor said in the statement.
The statement also noted that Itooka, one of three siblings, enjoyed simple pleasures in her later years, including bananas and Calpis, a popular milky soft drink in Japan.
While Japanese women are known for their longevity, the country faces a growing demographic challenge. An aging population is leading to increased medical and welfare costs, while a shrinking workforce struggles to support these expenses.
As of September, Japan counted more than 95,000 people aged 100 or older with 88% of that number being women.
The oldest person ever to have lived was Jeanne Louise Calment from France aged 122 years and 164 days when she died in August 1997.
