Woman in western Japan becomes country's oldest person

Tomiko Itooka, a 115-year-old woman in western Japan's Hyogo prefecture, has become the oldest person in Japan following the recent death of previous title holder, the government said Wednesday, Xinhua reports.

photo: QAZINFORM

Born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka, Itooka became the oldest living person in Japan after Fusa Tatsumi, a 116-year-old woman living in Osaka prefecture, died of old age on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

When Itooka first entered a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture, in 2019, she was still able to move around independently, but nowadays has to be escorted in a wheelchair to take her meals in the living room, according to staff