Tomiko Itooka world’s oldest person dies at 116. On Saturday, the announcement came from the city where she lived.
According to a statement from the mayor of the southern city, Itooka, who had four children and five grandchildren, passed away on December 29 in a nursing facility where she had been living since 2019.
In the commercial centre of Osaka, close to Ashiya, she was born on May 23, 1908, four months before the Ford Model T was introduced in the US.
After Maria Branyas Morera of Spain passed away in August 2024 at the age of 117, Itooka was acknowledged as the world’s oldest person.
In the announcement, Ashiya’s 27-year-old mayor Ryosuke Takashima remarked, “Ms. Itooka gave us courage and hope through her long life.” “We are grateful to her.”
Being one of three siblings, Itooka experienced pandemics, world wars, and technological advancements. She participated in volleyball as a student.
According to the mayor’s statement, Itooka liked bananas and Calpis, a milky soft drink that is popular in Japan, when she was older.
Although women in Japan tend to live longer, the nation is experiencing a deteriorating demographic crisis as a result of rising health care and welfare costs brought on by an ageing population and a declining labour force to cover these costs.
Over 95,000 persons in Japan were 100 years of age or older as of September, with women making up 88% of this group.
– Deeprows News