Tomiko Itooka, World's Oldest Living Person at 116, Responds with Humble Thank You

The type of lifestyle a person is living, it is very hard for human beings to cross the threshold of 100 years of age. In such situations, there is a woman in Japan who has recently crossed the age of 116 years and is now the oldest loving person in the world.

Tomiko Itooka, a 116-year-old woman from Japan, created history by becoming the oldest living person in the world. She achieved this feat after the passing of 117-year-old Maria Branyas Morera. 

Tomiko Itooka: Oldest Living Person 

The Gerontology Research Group, the authorized body that verifies the ages of people who have crossed the age of 110 years, confirmed Itooka's age and birthdate. This verification has made her the top person on the group’s World Supercentenarian Rankings List. 

The Guinness Book of World Records also confirmed this recognition.

Who is Tomiko Itooka?

Tomiko Itooka, born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka, has been living in a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, since 2019. Before moving to the nursing home, Itooka lived with her two daughters until she was 110 years old. 

Itooka was born as number second of her three siblings. She went to an all-girls high school in Osaka, where she was active in volleyball. 

She got married at the age of 20 and had four children—two daughters and two sons. She also experienced the hardships of World War II, during which she had to run the office of her husband’s textile factory. After her husband passed away in 1979, Itooka lived alone in Nara Prefecture, where she enjoyed hiking and completed several important pilgrimages.

Itooka’s 116th Birthday

Three months ago, Itooka celebrated her 116th birthday, receiving flowers, a card from the city’s mayor, and a cake—though she did mention that she doesn’t really like cake. 

Itooka has a problem with hearing, but she is able to clearly communicate with those around her. 

When told that she is now the world's oldest living person, Itooka humbly replied with a simple "Thank you," a phrase she often says to people around her mostly her caregivers.

Itooka is currently the 24th oldest person ever recorded. Previously she became the oldest living person in Asia and Japan in December 2023, after Fusa Tatsumi died of natural causes.

The record for the oldest person to ever live on Earth is still held by Jeanne Calment from France, who lived to be 122 years and 164 days old.

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