World’s oldest person dies at 116

A Japanese woman, Tomiko Itooka, recognised as world’s oldest person, has d!ed. She was aged 116.

Japanese public television station NHK reported today that Tomiko Itooka d!ed at a retirement home on December 29 in Ashiya in the southern Hyogo prefecture.

Born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka, near Ashiya, Itooka witnessed a century of history, including world wars, pandemics, and significant technological advancements. Her birth occurred just four months before the launch of the Ford Model T in the United States.

World’s oldest person d!es @ 116

Itooka became the world’s oldest person in August 2024, following the de.ath of Spain’s María Branyas Morera at the age of 117.

As of September, Japan counted more than 95,000 people aged 100 or older with 88% of that number being women.

The oldest person ever to have lived was Jeanne Louise Calment from France aged 122 years and 164 days when she d!ed in August 1997.