World’s oldest person dies aged 117

Nabi Tajima, the world’s oldest person, has died at the age of 117.

Ms Tajima was born on August 4, 1900, and became the oldest living person seven months ago.

An official in the town of Kikai off Kyushu, Japan, said she died in hospital on Saturday shortly before 8pm, having been cared for there since January.

Ms Tajima was the last known person born in the 19th century, and raised seven sons and two daughters and reportedly had more than 160 descendants, including greatgreat-great grandchildren.

Video shown on Japanese television showed Ms Tajima moving her hands to the beat of music played on traditional Japanese instruments at a ceremony to mark the achievement of her becoming the oldest person alive, after the death of Violet Brown in Jamaica. The Us-based Gerontology Research Group says that another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, is now the world’s oldest person in its records. Ms Miyako lives south of Tokyo.