The Guinness World Records has named 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka as the world’s oldest living woman and oldest living person.
Tomiko, from Japan, was born on May 23, 1908.
Tomiko lives in a nursing home in the city of Ashiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
According to Guinness World Records, she’s lived there since 2019, having previously lived at home with her two daughters until the age of 110.
Tomiko celebrated her 116th birthday three months ago, receiving flowers and a cake which she didn’t like as well as a card from the city’s mayor.
She communicates clearly, despite being hard of hearing, and routinely expresses gratitude towards her carers.
Bananas are her favourite food, and she drinks Calpis (a milky, acidic drink) every morning.
She was married at the age of 20. After her husband died in 1979, she continued living alone in Nara Prefecture, where she enjoyed frequently climbing Mt Nijo.
Tomiko was named the oldest living person in the world after the death of Maria Branyas Morera.
Maria, an American-born Spanish woman recorded as the oldest person in the world, died on Monday, August 19, in Olot, Spain.
Maria was 117, according to her family and The Guinness World Records.
A few days ago she told us: ‘One day I will leave here. I will not try coffee again, nor eat yoghurt, nor pet my dog,”
“I will also leave my memories, my reflections, and I will cease to exist in this body. One day, I don’t know, but it’s very close; this long journey will be over.” Her family posted on X.
Maria died peacefully at a nursing home where she resided for the past two decades.
She was confirmed to be the world’s oldest woman (and person overall) in January 2023.
