Tomiko Itooka, born May 23, 1908, has been confirmed as the world’s oldest living woman and the oldest living person following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas Morera.
The Gerontology Research Group, led by Robert D. Young, has validated her age, and a Guinness World Records representative confirmed her status as the world’s oldest living individual.
Tomiko has lived in a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, since 2019.
Before that, she lived at home with her two daughters until she was 110.
Tomiko celebrated her 116th birthday three months ago with flowers, a cake she admitted to disliking, and a card from the city’s mayor.
Despite being hard of hearing, she communicates clearly and regularly expresses gratitude to her caregivers. Her favourite food is bananas, and she enjoys drinking Calpis, a milky, acidic beverage, each morning.
Born and raised in Osaka as the second of three siblings, Tomiko attended an all-girls high school where she excelled in volleyball.
At age 20, she married and had four children—two daughters and two sons—and now has numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. During World War II, she managed her husband’s textile factory office.
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After her husband died in 1979, Tomiko lived alone in Nara Prefecture, where she frequently climbed Mt. Nijo and conquered the 3,000-meter-high Mt. Ontake twice.
In her eighties, she completed the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage twice and, even at 100, climbed the stone steps of Ashiya Shrine without a walking stick. Her family attributes her longevity to these extensive hikes.
Tomiko Itooka is currently the 24th-oldest person in recorded history. She has held the title of the oldest living person in Japan—and Asia—since December 2023, following the death of 116-year-old Fusa Tatsumi.
The record for the oldest person ever authenticated is held by Jeanne Calment of France, who lived 122 years and 164 days.
