World’s Oldest Person Tomiko Itooka Passes Away at 116

Tomiko Itooka, the Guinness World Records' oldest living person, passed away on December 29 at 116 in a nursing home located in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. She claimed the title of the oldest living person following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas Morera of Spain in August 2024. Born in May 1908 in Osaka, Itooka witnessed significant historical events throughout her life, including world wars and technological advancements. Known for her love of bananas and the yogurt-flavored Japanese drink Calpis, she spent much of her early life actively engaged in sports and mountain climbing, climbing Mount Ontake twice. This is prepared by SSP.

Her active lifestyle, which featured hiking and lively pursuits, was deemed a key contributor to her impressive longevity. She made further public appearances to celebrate her birthday, including an event in May 2024. Although verified as the oldest person in September 2024, footage showed Itooka accepting this honor on Respect for the Aged Day, a national event celebrating the elderly in Japan. Active even as a centenarian, Itooka could navigate the stone steps of the Ashiya Shrine without assistance.

During her lifetime, Itooka married and raised two daughters and two sons while also managing her husband’s textile factory office during WWII. Widowed in 1979, she thereafter lived alone in Nara Prefecture. Itooka is survived by one son, one daughter, and five grandchildren. A private funeral was held with family and friends paying their last respects. As Japan awaits the 116-year-old Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas to likely succeed her as the world's oldest person, Japan's statistics from September show over 95,000 centenarians, predominantly women, in the aging nation with nearly a third of its populace aged 65 and above.

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