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This article is more than 5 months old

A 116-year-old Japanese woman who loves playing the board game Othello has been named the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records.

Kane Tanaka was recognised in a ceremony on Saturday at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, in Japan’s south-west.

Tanaka was born 2 January 1903, the seventh of eight children. She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted another child.

She is usually up by 6am and enjoys studying mathematics.

Japanese centenarian population edges towards 70,000 Read more

The previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July at age 117.

Japanese tend to exhibit longevity and dominate the oldest-person list. Although changing dietary habits means obesity has been rising, it’s still relatively rare in a nation whose culinary tradition focuses on fish, rice, vegetables and other food low in fat. Age is also traditionally respected in Japan, so people stay active into their 80s and beyond.

A French woman, Jeanne Louise Calment, is recorded as the person who reached the oldest age, dying at 122, according to Guinness World Records.

Guinness said the world’s oldest man is still under investigation after Masazo Nonaka, living on the northernmost Japanese island of Hokkaido, died in January at 113.</s>Kane Tanaka is a Japanese woman at 116 years old.

She was recognized as the world’s oldest person on Saturday by the Guinness World Records…. A dream she’s had since she turned 100.

“On behalf of Guinness World Records, it gives me a great pleasure to confirm Kane Tanaka is the oldest person living aged 116 years and 66 days as of 9th March 2019”, said Guinness World Records Judge, Kaori Ishikawa.

Tanaka, who lives in a Japanese nursing home received the Guinness World Records certificates at a ceremony by families and local officials. She was honored for the world’s oldest person alive and oldest woman living.

“The world’s oldest? Thank you so much”, Tanaka said.

Tanaka, born on January 2, 1903, was emotional and said the recognition was the most exciting one in her life.

The oldest man was a Japanese, who died in 2013 at 116 years and 54 days. The person who lived the longest is French woman, Jeanne Calment. She lived to be 122 years and 164 days and died on August 4, 1997.</s>A 116-year-old Japanese woman who loves playing the board game Othello has been honoured as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records.

A 116-year-old Japanese woman who loves playing the board game Othello has been honoured as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records.

The global authority on records officially recognised Kane Tanaka in a ceremony at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, in Japan’s southwest.

Her family and the mayor were present to celebrate.

Ms Tanaka was born January 2 1903, the seventh of eight children. She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted a fifth.

She is usually up by 6am and enjoys studying mathematics.

The previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July at the age of 117. The oldest person prior to that was also Japanese.

Japanese people tend to exhibit longevity and dominate the oldest-person list.

Although changing dietary habits mean obesity has been rising, it is still relatively rare in a nation whose culinary tradition focuses on fish, rice, vegetables and other food low in fat.

Age is also traditionally respected here, meaning people stay active and feel useful into their 80s and beyond.

But Ms Tanaka has a way to go before she is the oldest person ever, an achievement of a French woman, Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to 122 years, according to Guinness World Records.

Guinness said the world’s oldest man is still under investigation after the man who had the honour, Masazo Nonaka, who lived on the Japanese northernmost island of Hokkaido, died in January at the age of 113.</s>Kane Tanaka has been named the world's oldest living person by Guiness World Records

A 116-year-old Japanese woman has been officially recognised as the world's oldest living person by Guinness World Records.

Kane Tanaka, who was born on 2 January 1903, celebrated with a special ceremony on Saturday with her family at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, in Japan's southwest.

The seventh of eight children, she married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted a fifth.

She is usually up by 6am and enjoys playing the board game Othello and studying mathematics.

The previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July at the age of 117.

French woman Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to 122 years, is the oldest person ever, according to Guinness World Records.

Guinness said the world's oldest man is still being researched.

The man who held the honour, Masazo Nonaka, who lived on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, died in January at the age of 113.</s>With an affinity for studying mathematics and a fierce competitive streak when it comes to the board game Othello, Kane Tanaka, a 116-year-old Japanese woman, was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living person this week.

The youngest of seven children, Tanaka was born Jan 2, 1903. This past January, she was found to be the world’s oldest living person. Originally from Fukuoka, Japan, Tanaka wakes up at 6 a.m. every day and spends her afternoons challenging (and defeating) members of her nursing home’s staff to games of Othello.

Tanaka and her husband Hideo Tanaka married when she was just 19 years old; they had never met in person. They would go on to have four children and adopt a fifth. Together, the couple ran a business called Tanaka Mochiya, which made and sold sticky rice, Zenzai (a Japanese sweet) and Udon noodles.

Tanaka has had several operations during her lifetime, including one for cataracts and one for colorectal cancer, and now lives in a nursing home in Fukuoka.

During the ceremony, Tanaka was honoured with a framed certificate and a box of chocolates, which she opened and began eating right away.



WATCH: Man claiming to be the oldest person in the world dies at age 146

When asked how many chocolates she planned to eat that day, she said “100.”

The Japanese tend to exhibit longevity and dominate the oldest living person list, demonstrated by the fact that the previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July at age 117. The oldest person prior to Miyako was also Japanese.

Although changing dietary habits mean obesity has been rising, it’s still relatively rare in a nation whose culinary tradition focuses on fish, rice, vegetables and other food low in fat. Age is also traditionally respected in Japan, meaning people stay active into their 80s and beyond.

While Tanaka may take the title of being the oldest living person right now, she’s still six years shy of the record for oldest person ever. That title has been held by France’s Jeanne Lousie Calment for the past 22 years, who died in a nursing home in southern France in 1997 at age 122.

–With a file from the Associated Press.</s>TOKYO — A 116-year-old Japanese woman who loves playing the board game Othello was honoured Saturday as the world’s oldest living person by Guinness World Records.

The global authority on records officially recognized Kane Tanaka in a ceremony at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, in Japan’s southwest. Her family and the mayor were present to celebrate.

Tanaka was born Jan. 2, 1903, the seventh among eight children. She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted another child.

She is usually up by 6 a.m. and enjoys studying mathematics.

The previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July at age 117. The oldest person prior to Miyako was also Japanese.

Japanese tend to exhibit longevity and dominate the oldest-person list. Although changing dietary habits mean obesity has been rising, it’s still relatively rare in a nation whose culinary tradition focuses on fish, rice, vegetables and other food low in fat. Age is also traditionally respected here, meaning people stay active and feel useful into their 80s and beyond.

But Tanaka has a ways to go before she is the oldest person ever, an achievement of a French woman, Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to 122 years, according to Guinness World Records.

Guinness said the world’s oldest man is still under investigation after the man who had the honours, Masazo Nonaka, living on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, died in January at 113.</s>A 116-year-old Japanese woman was honoured on Saturday as the world's oldest living person by Guinness World Records.

The global authority on records officially recognized Kane Tanaka in a ceremony at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, in southwest Japan.

Her family and the mayor were present to celebrate as the cancer-surviving pensioner, who loves playing the board game Othello, was handed the framed certificate by a Guinness World Records official.

Asked what part of her life she'd enjoyed most, Tanaka said: 'This right now.'

Tanaka was born on January 2, 1903, the seventh of eight children. She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted another child.

She is usually up by 6am and keeps her mind occupied by studying mathematics.

She had previously attributed her longevity to a strong appetite and her liking of sweets, coffee, and fizzy drinks.

Her great-nephew, Gary Funakoshi, also credited Tanaka's spirituality and faith.

The previous record holder for the oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July at age 117.

Miyako was described by her family as a 'chatty goddess' who was kind and patient, and loved calligraphy, eating sushi and eels.

The oldest person prior to Miyako was also from Japan.

The country dominates the oldest-person list because although changing dietary habits mean obesity has been rising, it's still relatively rare in a nation whose culinary tradition focuses on fish, rice, vegetables and other food low in fat.

Age is also traditionally respected here, meaning its elderly are well cared for and often stay active into their 80s and beyond.

But Tanaka has a way to go before she is the oldest person ever - an accolade currently held by a French woman, Jeanne Louise Calment.

According to Guinness World Records, Calment was born in 1875 and lived to 122.

She reportedly continued cycling until her 100th birthday and smoked throughout her elderly years, until she was 117.

Guinness said the world's oldest man is still under investigation after the man who had the honour, Masazo Nonaka, living on Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido, died in January at 113.

Following Miyako's death, two other people stepped forward claiming to be the world's oldest living person - a Brazilian man and a Russian woman, but neither claim has been verified by Guinness.

Jose Ferreira dos Santos, who lives in the municipality of Itajuipe in the Brazilian state of Bahia, says he is 118 years old.

His birth certificate appears to state he was born on November 9, 1900, which would make him just over two years older than Tanaka.

But his claim could be scuppered if another contender, Koku Istambulova, is confirmed as being 129 years of age.

Istambulova produced Russian passport and pension papers which appeared to show her date of birth as June 1, 1889.

Guinness World Records has three longevity categories: the oldest person living (male), oldest person living (female), and oldest person living.</s>Japanese woman honored by Guinness as oldest person at 116

TOKYO (AP) — A 116-year-old Japanese woman who loves playing the board game Othello is being honored as the world's oldest living person by Guinness World Records.

The global authority on records officially recognized Kane Tanaka in a ceremony Saturday at the nursing home where she lives in Fukuoka, in Japan's southwest. Her family and the mayor were present to celebrate.

Tanaka was born Jan. 2, 1903, the seventh among eight children. She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, and they had four children and adopted another child.

She is usually up by 6 a.m. and enjoys studying mathematics.

The previous oldest living person was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July at age 117.</s>She was born prematurely on January 2, 1903.

And more than 116 years on, Kane Tanaka from Fukuoka, Japan, has been officially honoured as the world's oldest living person.

The supercentenarian, who is 116 years and 66 days old as of today, was recognised as the title holder by the Guinness World Records.

She was presented with a certificate for that record - and one for the oldest living woman title - in a ceremony at her nursing home.

During the event, Kane was given a box of chocolates, which she immediately started eating, the global authority on records said.

She was later asked how many chocolates she wanted to eat that day.

Despite her age, Kane typically wakes up at 6am - and is still learning, often studying subjects like maths on afternoons.

She also loves playing the classic board game Othello. She has become an expert at the game, often beating nursing home staff.

She was confirmed as the oldest person alive on January 30, 2019, (when she was 116 years 28 days), Guinness said in a news release.

Her loved ones and the mayor were present for the occasion.

Kane, the seventh child of Kumakichi and Kuma Ota, had married Hideo Tanaka on January 6, 1922, four days after turning 19.

The couple went on to have four children and adopted a fifth.

In 1943, first son Nobuo joined the military.

He was held captive by the Soviet Union after World War Two and eventually returned to Japan in 1947.

During her life, Kane has suffered from a number of health issues.

She has had several operations, including surgeries for cataracts and colorectal cancer, but now lives 'peacefully' at the home.

The previous oldest living person in the world was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who was 117 when she died last July.

The record for the oldest person ever is held by a French woman, Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to more than 122 years.

Jeanne was an incredible 122 years and 164 days old when she died at a nursing home in Arles in August 1997, the authority said.

This means Kane has a way to go to overcome this record.

Guinness added that the title for the world's oldest living man is under investigation after Masazo Nonaka died two months ago.

Masazo, who lived in Japan and previously held the title, was 113 years and 179 days old when he passed away on January 20.

"Further information will be announced upon confirmation of a new record holder," Guinness said.

Last year, we reported how a Brazilian man, Jose Ferreira dos Santos, had claimed he was the oldest living person at the age of 118.</s>116-year-old Kane Tanaka, who normally arises before 6 a.m. and enjoys doing mathematical work, has been recognized by Guinness as the world's oldest living person.

A 116-year-old woman from Japan named Kane Tanaka has just been officially acknowledged as the world’s oldest living individual by Guinness World Records. A very special ceremony was recently set up by the organization in the Fukuoka nursing home where Tanaka resides to celebrate the life of this incredible woman, with Tanaka’s family and the city’s mayor all reported to have been in attendance.

As The New York Post reports, the 116-year-old Kane Tanaka has stated that she normally makes it a habit to be up before 6 a.m. and also enjoys doing mathematical work and playing the classic 1970s board game Othello, which was created by Goro Hasegawa.

Her great-nephew, Gary Funakoshi, has suggested that her longevity may in part be due to the Shinto religion that she subscribes to, with is focus on the kami spirits.

Tanaka came into this world on January 2, 1903, the same year that the Wright brothers successfully flew the first powered airplane, and was raised in a family of eight children.

She later married Hideo Tanaka in 1922 and had five children with her husband, with four of these being natural and the fifth adopted, and during World War II made a living selling rice cakes in a store that she ran with Hideo.

Before Tanaka, Guinness had listed another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, as the oldest living person, but Miyako reportedly passed away last year aged 117.

In general, Japanese individuals tend to fare much better than others in regard to age and also top records for those who live the longest. While recent dietary changes in Japan and the consumption of more traditionally Western foods has brought more obesity to the country, Japan’s diet still focuses on much more healthy fare such as rice, vegetables and fish, along with foods that are significantly lower in fats than those found in Western countries.

Kane Tanaka and the other Japanese citizens who have also been honored by Guinness World Records have also been helped by a society that greatly values and respects its older citizens, with those aged 80 and above frequently taking exercise and remaining active and alert in all of their day-to day activities.

While the 116-year-old Kane Tanaka has just been officially named as the oldest individual on the planet, so far the oldest person ever listed by Guinness World Records was the French woman named Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived until the ripe age of 122.
Japanese supercentenarian Kane Tanaka is officially recognized as the world's oldest living person at 116 years and 67 days old.