World’s oldest human dies at 116 years old in Japan

Tomiko Itooka celebrated her 116th birthday on 23 May 2024

The Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, the oldest recorded person in the world, has been confirmed dead in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture.

Itooka, 116, died in a nursing home in Ashiya on Friday. She was the world’s living oldest person according to the Guinness World Records.

She became the world’s oldest person after Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera who passed away at the age of 117 years old last year August.

Ms Itooka gave us courage and hope through her long life,” Ashiya’s 27-year-old mayor Ryosuke Takashima said in a statement, according to the BBC.

Ms Itooka was born on Saturday, May 23, 1908 – six years before World War One.

During Japan’s Day of the Aged in September 2024, Ms Itooka was verified as the world’s oldest person. The day marks a public holiday on the Japanese calendar.

By Emmanuel Akyereko