By NORIHIKO SHINJO/ Staff Writer
August 22, 2024 at 16:27 JST
Tomiko Itooka is celebrated on her 116th birthday in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on May 23. (Provided by the Ashiya city government)
ASHIYA, Hyogo Prefecture—Even at the age of 116, Tomiko Itooka never forgets to express gratitude to the employees of her intensive care home here.
When an employee told her on Aug. 21 that she is set to be recognized as the world’s oldest living person, Itooka replied in a steady voice, “Thank you,” according to the nursing home.
Itooka also had a cup of her favorite beverage, the lactic acid drink Calpis, that day.
The U.S.-based Gerontology Research Group had announced the previous day that Itooka is next in line for the Guinness World Records title after Maria Branyas Morera, 117, of Spain, died on Aug. 19.
A mother of four, Itooka was born in Osaka on May 23, 1908, as the oldest of three siblings.
She played volleyball during her school days.
Itooka was fond of walking and visiting shrines and temples. She continued walking to a nearby shrine even after she turned 100.
She moved into her nursing home in Ashiya at the age of 110.
The 10 oldest people in the world are all women and four of them are Japanese, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
Inah Canabarro Lucas, 116, of Brazil is the world’s second oldest person after Itooka. She was born on June 8, 1908.
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