Tomiko Itooka, the world’s oldest Japanese woman according to Guinness World Records, has died, Ashiya city authorities announced on Saturday. She was 116 years old.
Yoshitsugu Nagata, an official in charge of policies for the elderly, said Itooka died on December 29 at a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture.
Mr. Itooka was born on May 23, 1908, and loved bananas and a yogurt-flavored Japanese drink called Calpis. According to the Gerontology Research Group, Itooka became the oldest person to live in Japan, following the death of 117-year-old Maria Brañas last year.
Tomiko Itooka will celebrate her 116th birthday on May 23, 2024 at a nursing home in Ashiya, Japan. (via Ashiya City AP)
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When told that she had topped the world centenarian rankings, she simply replied, “Thank you.”
When Itooka celebrated her birthday last year, she received flowers, cake and a card from the mayor.
Nagata said that Osaka-born Itooka was a volleyball player in high school and had a long reputation for her cheerful spirit. She twice climbed Mt. Ontake, which has an altitude of 3,067 meters (10,062 feet).
Tomiko Itooka will celebrate her 116th birthday on May 23, 2024 at a nursing home in Ashiya, Japan. (via Ashiya City AP)
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According to Guinness, she married at age 20 and had two daughters and two sons.
Ms. Itooka managed the office of her husband’s textile factory during World War II. Her husband died in 1979 and she lived alone in Nara.
She has one son, one daughter, and five grandchildren. According to Nagata, the funeral was held with family and friends.
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According to the Gerontology Research Group, the world’s oldest person is currently 116-year-old Brazilian nun Ina Canavarro Lucas, who was born 16 days after Itooka.
