World’s oldest Japanese woman dies at 119 years old

Old lady Kane Tanaka in a photo taken on Seniors Day in Japan in September 2021 – Photo: AFP

“I was looking forward to meeting Kane-san on the seniors day Japan Released in September this year and celebrate with her favorite soda and chocolate,” Fukuoka Prefecture Governor Seitaro Hattori said in announcing the passing of Mrs. Tanaka. that old man,” said Mr. Hattori.

Tanaka was born on January 2, 1903, in the southwestern Fukuoka region of Japan, the same year the Wright brothers piloted mankind’s first airplane and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.

Although over 100 years old, Mrs. Tanaka’s health is still good. She lives in a nursing home where she enjoys solving math games, drinking soda and eating chocolate. She usually gets up at 6 a.m. and spends weekday afternoons studying math and practicing calligraphy.

In her youth, Ms. Tanaka worked various jobs, including managing a noodle shop and a rice cake shop. She married Mr. Hideo Tanaka a century ago (right in 1922), had 4 children and adopted the youngest.

She once dreamed of using a wheelchair to participate in the torch relay for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic prevented her from doing so.

When Guinness World Records recognized her as the oldest living person in 2019, people asked her when she felt happiest in her life. “Right now,” replied the 116-year-old grandmother shortly.

According to Kyodo News, Mrs. Tanaka not only experienced two world wars but also witnessed important moments in Japan. She has lived through 4 emperors Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei and is in the Reiwa period of Emperor Naruhito.

According to World Bank data, Japan has one of the highest rates of elderly population in the world, with about 28% of its population aged 65 and over.