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Kane Tanaka (here on her 117th birthday) was 119 years old, the oldest person in the world.
Now she is dead.
Photo: Kyodo News / IMAGO
The world's oldest person, Kane Tanaka of Japan, has died at the age of 119.
As the local government of her Japanese hometown of Fukuoka has now announced, Tanaka died on April 19.
Tanaka was born on January 2, 1903 as the seventh child of her parents, there were eight siblings in all.
In 1922 she married at the age of 19.
The couple had four children and adopted another.
Tanaka supported the family by running a noodle shop when her husband and eldest son went to war against China that began in 1937.
After the war, the couple ran a rice cake business.
Tanaka experienced the reigns of a total of five Japanese emperors.
At the age of 116, the Guinness Book of Records recognized the Japanese as the oldest living person in the world.
The secret of her long life: »Delicious food and learning«
When asked about the secret to her long life, she said "eating good food and learning."
One of her favorite foods was chocolate.
Even in old age, Tanaka still had a great passion for mathematics and the board game Othello.
According to the media, she got up at 6 a.m. and only went to bed around 9 p.m.
The French woman Lucile Randon is now the oldest living person in the world at 118 years and 73 days, reports the Gerontology Research Group.
Japan's oldest living person is now 115-year-old Fusa Tatsumi from Kashiwara in Osaka Prefecture, according to the Health Ministry.
ktz/dpa
