World’s oldest person dies in Japan at 119

FUKUOKA/Tokyo – A Japanese girl licensed the world’s oldest individual has died on the age of 119, native officers stated Monday.

Kane Tanaka, who died on April 19, was born Jan. 2, 1903, within the metropolis of Fukuoka, the identical 12 months the Wright brothers flew for the primary time and Marie Curie turned the primary girl to win a Nobel Prize.

She was acknowledged by Guinness World Information because the world’s oldest individual in March 2019, on the age of 116. She turned the oldest individual ever on file in Japan after turning 117 years, 261 days outdated in September 2020.

Tanaka, whose life spanned a number of Japanese imperial eras — Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei and Reiwa — was in comparatively good well being till just lately and lived at a nursing house, the place she loved board video games, fixing math issues, soda and chocolate.

In her youthful years, Tanaka ran varied companies together with a noodle store and a rice cake retailer. She married Hideo Tanaka a century in the past in 1922, giving beginning to 4 kids and adopting a fifth.

She had deliberate to make use of a wheelchair to participate within the torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, however the world COVID-19 pandemic prevented her from doing so.

When the Guinness World Information acknowledged her because the oldest individual alive, she was requested what second she was essentially the most joyful in life. Her reply: “Now.”

Her each day routine was described on the time as together with a 6 a.m. wake-up, and afternoons spent finding out arithmetic and working towards calligraphy.

“One in every of Kane’s favourite pastimes is a sport of Othello and he or she’s change into an professional on the basic board sport, usually beating rest-home workers,” Guinness stated.

Fukuoka Gov. Seitaro Hattori hailed Tanaka’s life.

“I used to be wanting ahead to seeing Kane-san on this 12 months’s Respect for the Aged Day (a nationwide vacation in September) and celebrating collectively along with her favourite soda and chocolate,” he stated in a press release Monday.

“I’m extraordinarily saddened by the information.”

Japan has the world’s most aged inhabitants, based on World Financial institution information, with round 28% aged 65 or over.

The oldest-ever residing individual verified by Guinness was Frenchwoman Jeanne Louise Calment, who died aged 122 years and 164 days in 1997.