World's oldest woman celebrates 119th birthday

Tokyo: World’s oldest lady Kane Tanaka has celebrated her 119th birthday at a nursing home in Fukuoka Prefecture. 

Kane Tanaka, officially world's oldest woman continued to break her own world record for the ancient person when attending the 119th birthday celebration at a nursing home—expressing hope to live to 120 years old.  

The Japanese woman was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest person in March 2019, and also set the record for the longest living person of all time in Japan.

The number of Japanese people aged 100 and over was only 153 in 1963

Tanaka was born on January 2, 1903, the same year when the Wright Brothers invented world’s first-ever airplane and almost 11 years before World War I. 

She was seventh child in a family of 9 siblings.  

She currently lives in a nursing home in Fukuoka, where she likes to spend her time solving puzzles, according to reports.

Although the centenarian is unable to speak anymore, she communicates with staff using gestures.

She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922 and has mothered five children. Her husband and eldest son fought in the Second Sino-Japanese war.

As of 2020, she has five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.