Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world's oldest person, according to Guinness World Records, has died, an Ashiya city official said Saturday. He was 116 years old.
Yoshitsugu Nagata, an official in charge of senior policy, said Itooka died on December 29 at a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture, central Japan.
Itooka, who loved bananas and a Japanese yogurt-flavored drink called Calpis, was born on May 23, 1908. Last year she became the oldest person after the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
When she was told she was at the top of the world supercentenarian ranking list, she simply responded, “Thank you.”
When Itooka celebrated her birthday last year, she received flowers, a cake and a card from the mayor.
Nagata, born in Osaka, was a high school volleyball player and long had a reputation for having a cheerful spirit, Nagata said. He climbed the 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) Mount Ontake twice.
She married at age 20 and had two daughters and two sons, according to Guinness.
Receive the latest national news
For news affecting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as it happens.
Itooka managed the office of her husband's textile factory during World War II. She lived alone in Nara after her husband's death in 1979.
He is survived by a son, a daughter and five grandchildren. According to Nagata, a funeral was held with family and friends.
According to the Gerontology Research Group, the oldest person in the world is now the Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, 116 years old, who was born 16 days after Itooka.