The world’s oldest person, Kane Tanaka of Japan, has died aged 119. As the local government of his hometown of Fukuoka in southwest Japan announced on Monday, Tanaka died on April 19. According to the Gerontology Research Group, Frenchwoman Lucile Randon is now the oldest person in the world, at 118 years and 73 days. The oldest person in Japan is now Fusa Tatsumi, 115, from Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture, according to the Ministry of Health. Tanaka was born on January 2, 1903 as the seventh child, in all there were eight siblings. In 1922, he married at age 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 the war against China that started in 1937. After the war, the couple ran a rice cake business. Tanaka experienced the reigns of a total of five Japanese emperors. At 116, the Japanese woman was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest person in the world.
When asked about the secret of her long life, she said “eat well and study”. One of her favorite foods was chocolate. Even at biblical age, Tanaka still had a great passion for mathematics and the board game Othello. According to the media, she woke up at 6am and didn’t go to sleep until around 9pm.
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