WORLD’S OLDEST PERSON DIES AT 116
Tomiko Itooka has died at the age of 116. The Japanese woman was the oldest person in the world.
She died on 29 December at a care home in central Japan.
Itooka was named the world’s oldest person by the Guinness World Records when Maria Branyas died last year at the age of 117.
A lover of bananas and a yoghurt-flavoured Japanese drink called Calpis, Itooka was born on 23 May 1908. She celebrated her 116th birthday last year with flowers, a cake and a card from the local mayor, 27-year-old Ryosuke Takashima.
“Ms Itooka gave us courage and hope through her long life. We thank her for it.”
Itooka was an avid volleyball player when she was younger. She married at the age of 20 and together with her husband, she had two daughters and two sons.
During World War II when her husband had to leave and fight in the war, she managed her husband’s textile factory.
After her husband died in 1979, she lived alone.
She leaves behind a son, a daughter and five grandchildren.
Japan is currently facing a demographic crisis because of its expanding elderly population. This puts a heavy burden on the government because of soaring medical and welfare costs.
Image credit: Sky News