Tomiko Itooka passed away in a care facility where she spent her final years.
At the age of 116, Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, recognized as the oldest person in the world, passed away. According to the Associated Press on Saturday, Itooka, born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka as the eldest of three siblings, died on December 29, 2024, at a care home in Ashiya. Authorities in Hyogo Prefecture reported that her funeral was held privately with family and friends.
Itooka married at the age of 20. During World War II, she worked in a textile factory while raising four children—two daughters and two sons. Her husband passed away in 1979, after which she lived alone. In her youth, she played volleyball in high school and, even as a senior, twice climbed Mount Ontake, standing 3,067 meters tall. She enjoyed bananas and Japan’s traditional fermented milk drink.
Itooka became Japan’s oldest living person in December 2023 following the death of Fusa Tatsumi, a 116-year-old resident of Kashiwara in Osaka Prefecture. In September 2024, she was officially recognized as the world’s oldest living person, a record confirmed by Guinness World Records after the passing of Maria Branyas Morera, a 117-year-old Catalan woman from Olot, Spain.
According to the Gerontology Research Group, the current oldest living person is 116-year-old Brazilian nun Sister Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born just 16 days after Itooka. Sister Inah is also the world’s oldest nun and one of the oldest people known to have recovered from COVID-19.
The longest-living person in recorded history remains Jeanne Calment of France (1875–1997), who passed away at the age of 122.
Agence France-Presse noted that Japanese women generally enjoy exceptional longevity. However, Japan is also grappling with a deepening demographic crisis. The growing number of elderly people is increasing the financial strain on healthcare and social services. As of September 2024, Japan recorded over 95,000 centenarians, 88% of whom were women. Nearly one-third of Japan’s population of 124 million is aged 65 or older.
