(Photo: Handout / Fukuoka Prefectural Government / AFP)
A Japanese woman believed to be the world’s oldest person has died at the age of 119, local authorities said on Monday.
Kane Tanaka was born in the Fukuoka region of southwestern Japan on January 2, 1903, the same year that Marie Curie became the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize.
Until recently, Tanaka was in relatively good health and lived in a nursing home, where she enjoyed board games, doing math problems, sodas, and chocolate.
She had several businesses in her youth, including a noodle shop and a rice cake shop. Kane married Hideo Tanaka a century ago in 1922, with whom he had four children and adopted a fifth.
She planned to use a wheelchair to take part in the Tokyo 2021 Olympics torch relay, but the pandemic prevented her from attending.
When the Guinness Book of World Records recognized her as the world’s oldest person in 2019, she was asked when in her life she was happiest and she replied, “Now.”
Her daily routine was described as follows: getting up at 6:00 am and afternoons devoted to studying math and practicing calligraphy.
“One of Kane’s favorite pastimes is a game of Othello and he has become an expert on the classic board game, often beating the home’s staff,” Guinness said.
Local governor Seitaro Hattori highlighted the life of Tanaka, who died on April 19.
“I had planned to meet Kane at this year’s Respect for Seniors Day (a national event in September) and celebrate with his lemonade and chocolate. The news makes me very sad,” he said in a statement released Monday.
According to the World Bank, Japan is the most populous country in the world with 28% of people over 65 years old.
The oldest living person confirmed by Guinness was Jeanne Louise Calment of France, who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days.