The world's oldest living person has passed away.
Tomiko Itooka died at the age of 116 at a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo, Japan, on December 29, 2024.
However, the announcement of her death was only made public over the weekend, with media outlets first reporting the news on Saturday, January 4, 2025.
A funeral was reportedly organized following Tomiko's death and was attended by close family members and friends.
The Guinness World Records declared Tomiko the oldest living person in the world following the death of the previous record holder, Maria Branyas, who passed away in Spain at the age of 117 on August 19, 2024.
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A VOLLEYBALL PLAYER IN HER YOUTH
Tomiko's profile mentioned that she was born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka, Japan.
This means that Tomiko was already six years old when World War I happened in 1914, lasting until 1918.
Tomiko played volleyball in high school and was said to have climbed Mount Ontake — regarded as the 14th highest mountain and second highest volcano in Japan — twice.
At the age of 20, she married and had two sons and two daughters, as noted by Guinness.
During World War II, Tomiko managed her husband’s textile factory office.
After her husband died in 1979, she lived alone in Nara.
She is survived by one son, one daughter, and five grandchildren.
As for her favorites, Tomiko was fond of bananas and Calpis, which is a yogurt-flavored Japanese drink.
Following Tomiko's passing, the title of the world's oldest living person has now been passed to Inah Canabarro Lucas, a 116-year-old Brazilian nun.
