The Japanese woman who was declared the world’s oldest person has died at the age of 116.
Tomiko Itooka was born in the village of Osaka on 23rd May, 1908, she became the world’s oldest living person in August 2024, when the former titleholder Maria Branyas Morera of Spain died at the age of 117.
Tomiko passed away on December 29 at a nursing home in the city of Ashiya, where she has lived since 2019.
Her funeral was held on Saturday, 4th January, 2024.
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Japanese public broadcaster, NHK reported that Tomiko, despite her old age, enjoyed relatively good health, remaining physically active throughout her life.
As a youth, she played volleyball and hiked mountains, climbing Mount Ontake twice, which rises over 3,000 meters above sea level.
It is also reported that even after turning 100, she frequently walked to local temples.
The late Itooka married at the age of 20 and had four children; two daughters and two sons with her husband, who passed away almost 50 years ago. She is survived by one son, one daughter, and five grandchildren.
Ryosuke Takashima, the city’s mayor expressed condolences to her family and loved ones, saying: “Mrs. Itooka gave us tremendous courage and hope throughout her long life.”
The world’s oldest living person title now belongs to 116-year-old Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born just 16 days after Itooka.
