Kane Tanaka, the world’s oldest woman, has died
The world’s oldest living person, Kane Tanaka, died in Japan on Tuesday 19 April 2022, according to the country’s health ministry.
Kane Tanaka, who was the world’s oldest living person, has died in Japan at the age of 119, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said on Monday. Tanaka was born on 2 January 1903, in the southwestern Fukuoka region, the seventh child in her family. In the same year the Wright brothers first flew an aeroplane and Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize.
Kane Tanaka: over a century of experiences
As a 19-year old she married a rice shop owner - Hideo Tanaka - and incredibly worked in the family shop until she was 103. She ran several businesses, including a noodle shop and a rice cake shop, while the couple had four children naturally and adopted a fifth.
She survived cancer twice, and lived through two world wars, the Spanish flu of 1918 and the recent covid-19 pandemic, among many, many more events. She was selected to carry the Olympic torch at the Tokyo 2020 Games, but her participation was sadly cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Tanaka had been living in a nursing home in her hometown, where she studied mathematics and practised calligraphy. He was in relatively good health until recently and died in a Fukuoka hospital, having fallen ill in recent months. “She had been in and out of hospital repeatedly since the end of last year,” the family told Japanese public broadcaster NHK.
Tanaka’s granddaughter Junko thanked “those who have supported us” on the Twitter account she set up for her grandmother.
Oldest: Guinness World Records
At 116 years old, Kane Tanaka was recognised as the world’s oldest living person. According to the Guinness World Record website, Tanaka was just a few years away from becoming the oldest woman in history, a title that belongs to France’s Jeanne Louise Calment, who died aged 122 in 1997.
“The titles of oldest living person and oldest living person (female) are currently being investigated. More information will be announced when the next record holder is confirmed,” reported Guinness World Records.
Fukuoka Prefecture Governor Seitaro Hattori said it “gave him hope and joy for longevity”. He said he was surprised by the “sudden news” and expressed his sorrow. “She survived five eras, from the Meiji era to the Reiwa era”.
The city’s mayor also expressed his condolences: “I learned the secret of living long and well.”