World’s longest-living Japanese woman dies at age 116

Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world’s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, died at the age of 116.

Foreign media such as the BBC and the Guardian reported that Itooka died at a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan on December 29. According to the Gerontology Research Group, Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908, was named the oldest person after a Spanish woman named Maria Branas died at the age of 117 in August last year.

Born in Osaka, Itooka played volleyball in high school and enjoyed mountaineering, climbing the 3,067m high Mt. Ontake twice. She married at the age of 20 and had two daughters and two sons. After her husband died in 1979, she lived alone for 10 years and entered a nursing home.

Ashiya Mayor Ryosuke Takashima mourned her death and said, “Ms. Itooka gave us courage and hope through her long life.”

With Itooka’s death, the world’s current oldest person is Ina Canavaro Lucas, a 116-year-old Brazilian nun born 16 days later, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

According to what is known about his secret to longevity, he has a habit of consuming bananas and lactic acid bacteria drink every morning. Even in his 70s and 80s, he continued to be physically active, including climbing the 3,067m high Mt. Ontake twice. It is believed that these regular eating habits and consistent physical activity contributed to his longevity.

Meanwhile, according to the BBC, as of September last year, there were more than 95,000 people over 100 years old living in Japan, of whom 88% were women.