Kane Tanaka of Japan, World's Oldest Person, Dies at Age 119; Guinness Offers Condolences

The Guinness World Records made a sad announcement, reporting that the woman who held the record as the oldest living person in the world has died at the age of 119 years old. Guinness World Records revealed on Monday, April 25, that Kane Tanaka of Japan died last Tuesday, April 19.

The news of Tanaka's death has been confirmed by Senior Gerontology Consultant Robert Young. He was the one who also helped confirm Kane's record as the oldest person living and oldest person living female back in 2019.

Tanaka's family posted a message on social media platform Twitter on April 13, writing that Kane had recently been "hospitalized and discharged repeatedly." According to the family's tweet, Tanaka had said that she was able to come this far with the support of many people and that she hopes they will continue to have fun, [and be] cheerful and energetic.

Tanaka born prematurely on January 2, 1903

Tanaka was confirmed by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living person on the planet on March 9, 2019. A Guinness World Records profile of Tanaka at the time said that the Japanese was born prematurely on January 2, 1903 as the seventh child of Kumakichi and Kuma Ota.

According to a report by NBC News, Tanaka raised five children in Japan and helped run a family business, which made and sold udon, sticky rice, and desserts. Guinness World Records said that Tanaka woke up at 6 a.m. and spent her days playing Othello and studying math. She also was known for having a sweet tooth, which Tanaka's family said persisted through her final days, with constant requests for cola and chocolate.

Tanaka had survived colorectal cancer before and was living in a rest home in the latter years of her life. Tanaka was supposed to be one of the torchbearers for the much anticipated Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay, but her participation was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oldest persons in the world live in Japan

The previous oldest living person in the world was another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died at the age of 117 years old. The oldest person before Miyako was a Japanese as well.

Tanaka failed to claim the title of oldest person ever with the record still belonging to Jeanne Louise Calment, a French woman who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days old, according to NPR.

The oldest person ever (male) was Japanese citizen Jiroemon Kimura. He was born on April 19, 1897 and died aged 116 years 54 days, on June 12, 2013. Guinness World Records said it was investigating who has the titles of oldest person living and oldest person living (female) now. Guinness World Records issued a statement regarding Tanaka's death, with the group sending their deepest condolences to Kane's family.