World’s oldest person, Kane Tanaka, dies in Japan aged 119

The world’s oldest person, a resident of Japan, Kane Tanaka has passed away at the age of 119. Kane Tanaka was born in the same year as George Orwell, in 1903, at a time when Japan was establishing itself as a global force. The latter part of her life was at a nursing home in Japan. There she enjoyed having chocolates and indulging in playing board games.

1903, her birth year was a significant one. Theodore Roosevelt was the president of the United States. Edward VII was the king of the United Kingdom. The first controlled flight of the Wright Brothers’ motor-driven airplane took place, and the Tour de France was organized for the first time.

Japan has the world’s largest elderly population

Tanaka was the seventh of a family of nine children. She married at the age of 19 and went on to own several businesses, including a noodle shop. Her husband participated in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, while her son served in World War II and was held captive by the Soviet Union. Tanaka had planned to participate in the Tokyo Olympics torch relay, however, the COVID-19 pandemic prohibited her from doing so.

Apart from playing board games, she kept herself busy with calligraphy and mathematics. In 2019, there was a celebratory ceremony to honor her living. Jeanne Louise Calment, a Frenchwoman, was the world’s oldest living person when she died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days. The world’s oldest person is now Lucile Randon, a 118-year-old French nun.

Japan has the world’s largest elderly population. Nearly a quarter of the population is 65 or older, with extended life expectancies attributed to diet, healthcare, and the fact that many older people continue to work into their later years.

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