TOKYO, Japan—116-year-old Japanese woman, Kane Tanaka, who loves playing the board game Othello was honored Saturday, March 9, as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records.
The global authority on records officially recognized Kane Tanaka in a ceremony at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, in Japan’s southwest. Her family and the mayor were present to celebrate.
Tanaka was born Jan. 2, 1903, the seventh among eight children. She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted another child.
“On behalf of Guinness world records, it gives me great pleasure to confirm Kane Tanaka is the oldest person living aged 116 years and 66 days as of 9th March 2019,” official Guinness world records judge, Kaoru Ishikawa said.
“The world’s oldest? Thank you so much,” Tanaka, said.
Tanaka finally achieved the dream she had since she was 100. She cried and said the moment of recognition was the most exciting one in her life.
The oldest man that has ever lived was a Japanese, Jiroemon Kimura, who died in 2013 at the age of 116 years and 54 days. The person who had lived the longest, recognized by Guinness World Records, is French woman Jeanne Calment who lived to be 122 years and 164 days and died on August 4, 1997.
The previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July at age 117. The oldest person prior to Miyako was also Japanese.
Chiyo Miyako, the oldest person in the world and known as “the goddess,” has died at age 117, officials in her home state in Japan say. https://t.co/qsMKBpG8fY
(Photo: AP) pic.twitter.com/kTUpxzW468
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 27, 2018
Japanese tend to exhibit longevity and dominate the oldest-person list. Although changing dietary habits mean obesity has been rising, it’s still relatively rare in a nation whose culinary tradition focuses on fish, rice, vegetables and other food low in fat. Age is also traditionally respected here, meaning people stay active and feel useful into their 80s and beyond.
Guinness said the world’s oldest man is still under investigation after the man who had the honors, Masazo Nonaka, living on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, died in January at 113.
Guinness World Records is saddened to learn of the death of Masazo Nonaka. Aged 113, Masazo held the title of oldest living man from April 2018 to his passing yesterday at his home in Japan. https://t.co/3SmUHGbCpn
— GuinnessWorldRecords (@GWR) January 21, 2019
Reuters contributed to this report.
