World’s oldest person dies at 117
The oldest person in the world has died at age 117, officials in her home state in Japan said Friday.
Chiyo Miyako, who was known to her family members as “the goddess,” died Sunday, said officials in Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo.
Guinness World Records confirmed that she was the world’s oldest person. Her replacement is yet to be announced by Guinness, but, according to reports, the new oldest person is Kane Tanaka, a 115-year-old woman who lives in a nursing home in Fukuoka, a city in southern Japan. Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said Tanaka is now the country’s oldest person.
Miyako, born on May 2, 1901, became the world’s oldest person in April after Nabi Tajima, a fellow Japanese national from the southern Kikai island, died at age 117.
Miyako’s family said she was a chatty person who was patient and kind to others and loved delicious food, with sushi and eels being favorites, according to Guinness World Records.
She started learning calligraphy as a child and practised it until recently. She also had the chance to travel because her husband, Shoji, worked for Japanese National Railways, Guinness said.
The world’s oldest man, Masazo Nonaka, celebrated his 113th birthday on Wednesday on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
Nonaka grew up in Ashoro, close to well-known hot springs, and points to those mineral-rich waters and his love of candy and sweets as the reason for his longlasting health.
It’s not exactly surprising that Japan is home to so many of the record holders for longevity.
In 2017, nearly 68,000 people in Japan were over 100. Japan has more people older than 65 than any other country — a challenge for the economy as the birthrate has slowed drastically.
Jeanne Louise Calment from France holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest person ever. Born in 1875, she was 122 when she died in 1997.