World's oldest person, Japan's Kane Tanaka, dies at 119

The Japanese

, who at 119 years old was recognized as the oldest living person in the world, has died, as confirmed to Efe on Monday by the local authorities of the

prefecture , where she lived.

Born on January 2, 1903 in the former village of

, which is now part of the city of

, Tanaka died in a hospital in that city on the 19th at the age of 119 years and 108 days.

Tanaka lived in five different eras of

(

,

,

,

, and present -day

) and had set a goal of turning 120 next year, according to his family.

The Japanese got married at age 19 and the family got ahead running udon noodle restaurants.

Tanaka had been living in a nursing home for a number of years and was a regular presence in articles and Japanese television programs on the occasion of his birthday or the national celebration of Respect for the Elderly Day.

Chocolate and carbonated drinks

His favorite food was chocolate and he liked carbonated drinks, as has often been seen in the photographs and videos broadcast in the local media.

The elderly woman applied to take part in the Olympic torch relay leg of the

last summer, but ultimately opted out due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tanaka was recognized since 2019 by the

(GRG) and the

as the oldest woman and person in the world.

After her death, the oldest living person becomes the French nun

, better known as

, who is today 118 years and 74 days old.

The oldest Japanese woman is now

, who turned 115 today, and is also the fifth oldest person in the world on record.

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