Ashiya, Japan – The world’s oldest individual, Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese lady, has handed away on the age of 116, the town of Ashiya introduced on Saturday.
Itooka, who had 4 youngsters and 5 grandchildren, died on December 29, 2024, at a nursing dwelling the place she had lived since 2019. She was born on Might 23, 1908, in Osaka, close to Ashiya, simply months earlier than the Ford Mannequin T debuted in the US.
Her demise got here lower than 5 months after she was recognised because the world’s oldest individual, following the passing of Spain’s Maria Branyas Morera in August 2024 on the age of 117.
Ashiya’s 27-year-old mayor, Ryosuke Takashima, praised Itooka’s outstanding life, stating, “Ms Itooka gave us braveness and hope via her lengthy life. We thank her for it.”
Itooka was certainly one of three siblings and lived via vital historic occasions, together with two world wars, pandemics, and groundbreaking technological developments. As a pupil, she performed volleyball, and in her later years, she loved bananas and Calpis, a preferred milky mushy drink in Japan, in accordance with the mayor’s assertion.
Japan, identified for the longevity of its inhabitants, is grappling with a demographic disaster as its ageing inhabitants continues to develop. As of September, the nation recorded over 95,000 centenarians, with ladies accounting for 88% of the full.
Almost a 3rd of Japan’s 124 million residents are aged 65 or older, resulting in rising medical and welfare prices amid a shrinking labour drive.
Itooka’s life was a testomony to resilience and the enduring human spirit, abandoning a legacy that impressed many.
