Tomiko Itooka, the world’s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has passed away at the age of 116, an official from Ashiya city confirmed on Saturday. Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka, Japan, died on December 29, 2024, at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture.
Known for her love of bananas and the yogurt-flavored drink Calpis, Itooka became the oldest living person last year after the death of Maria Branyas, who was 117 years old. When she was informed of her title as the oldest person in the World Supercentenarian Rankings, she simply replied, “Thank you.”
A volleyball player in her youth, Itooka maintained an active lifestyle, even climbing Mount Ontake twice. She married at 20 and had four children, later managing her husband’s textile factory during World War II. After her husband passed in 1979, she lived alone in Nara.
Itooka is survived by one son, one daughter, and five grandchildren. A private funeral was held with family and friends. As of now, the world’s oldest person is Inah Canabarro Lucas, a 116-year-old Brazilian nun, born just 16 days after Itooka.
Itooka’s family and local community in Ashiya, a city located in the Kobe metropolitan area, are mourning her loss. According to her family, she lived independently for much of her life and remained active until her final years.