HYOGO PROVINCE, Japan. Jan 07-The world’s oldest woman, Tomiko Itooka, has passed away at the age of 116, according to Japanese media reports. Itooka died in a nursing home in the western Hyogo province, as reported by Kyodo News.
Born on May 23, 1908, Itooka became Japan’s oldest living person in December 2023 following the death of Fusa Tatsumi, also aged 116, in Osaka. Last September, Guinness World Records recognized Itooka as the world’s oldest living person after the previous record holder, Maria Branyas Morera, 117, from Catalonia, Spain, passed away.
Japan’s Centenarians Hit Record High
Japan’s population of centenarians has reached a record high of more than 95,000, with nearly 90 percent of them being women, government data revealed last year. This milestone highlights the ongoing demographic challenge faced by the world’s fourth-largest economy as its population continues to age and shrink.
As of September 1, Japan had 95,119 centenarians, an increase of 2,980 from the previous year, with 83,958 of them being women and 11,161 men, according to the health ministry. Additionally, the number of people aged 65 and older has reached a record high of 36.25 million, accounting for 29.3 percent of Japan’s population. This proportion places Japan at the top of a list of 200 countries and regions with populations over 100,000, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
