The world's oldest woman has died: she was 116 years old and was Japanese

En septembre, le Japon comptait plus de 95 000 centenaires, dont 88 % de femmes. MAXPPP – JOHAN BEN AZZOUZ

La personne la plus âgée au monde, la Japonaise Tomiko Itooka, est décédée à l'âge de 116 ans, a annoncé samedi la ville d'Ashiya (sud du Japon) où elle habitait.

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Itooka, who had four children and five grandchildren, died on Dec. 29 at the retirement home where she had lived since 2019, Ashiya Mayor Ryosuke Takashima said in a statement.

Born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka, not far from Ashiya, she was recognized as the oldest person alive after the death in August 2024 of Maria Branyas Morera of Spain at the age of 117.

“Ms. Itooka gave us courage and hope throughout her long life,” Ashiya Mayor Ryosuke Takashima said. “We thank her for that,” added the 27-year-old elected official.

A volleyball player in her youth

The number one in a family of three children, a volleyball player in her youth, she has experienced wars, pandemics and technological revolutions.

In her old age, she was fond of bananas and Calpis, a drink made from lactic ferments that is very popular in Japan, according to the city hall's press release.

Japan is currently experiencing a demographic crisis, with a growing elderly population and a shrinking working population financing accumulated medical and social expenses.

In As of September, Japan had more than 95,000 centenarians, 88% of whom were women.

Almost a third of the country's 124 million people are 65 and older.