The world’s oldest person, 116-year-old Japanese woman Tomiko Itooka, passed away on December 29, 2024, at a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyōgo Prefecture, where she had lived for five years.
Her passing was confirmed by LongeviQuest, the premier database on human longevity, on January 4, 2025.
Itooka, who became the oldest living person in August 2024 following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas Morera, celebrated her 116th birthday in May 2024. In September, Guinness World Records presented her with an official certificate recognizing her title.
Born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka during the reign of Emperor Meiji, Itooka was the middle child and eldest daughter in her family. She attended an all-girls high school and was active on the volleyball team. She married at 20 and had two daughters and two sons, along with numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
During World War II, Itooka managed her husband’s textile factory while raising her children. After her husband’s death in 1979, she lived independently in Nara Prefecture, maintaining an active lifestyle that included hiking and climbing, often summiting Mount Nijo and Mount Ontake.
Itooka was a devout Buddhist and completed the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage in her eighties. By age 100, she could still climb Ashiya Shrine’s stone steps unaided.
She lived independently until just before her 111th birthday, when she moved into the nursing home. Family members attribute her longevity to her active lifestyle and strong family ties.