Japanese mountaineer is named world’s oldest living person

Tomiko Itooka, a 116-year-old woman from Ashiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, is now recognized as the world’s oldest living person following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas Morera from Spain. Validated by the Gerontology Research Group and confirmed by Guinness World Records, Tomiko has lived in a nursing home since 2019, after residing with her daughters until the age of 110.

About Tomiko: Born on May 23, 1908, Tomiko is the second of three siblings. She was an active volleyball player in school and married at 20, having four children and now numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. During World War II, she managed her husband’s textile factory and later lived alone in Nara Prefecture after his death. Tomiko is the 24th-oldest person in recorded history and has been Japan’s oldest living person since December 2023.
The mountaineer: Tomiko is known for her adventurous spirit, having climbed Japan’s 10,062-feet Mt. Ontake twice in her 70s, even wearing sneakers instead of hiking boots. In her 80s, she completed the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage twice, and at 100, she impressively scaled the steps of Ashiya Shrine without a cane. Her family attributes her longevity to her love of hiking. Despite her age, she remains communicative, enjoys bananas and drinks Calpis daily.

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