World’s oldest person Kane Tanaka turns 119, sets sights on new goal

The world’s oldest human being has cleared another milestone going into the New Year, turning 119 in a nursing home on Sunday.

The world’s oldest human being has cleared another milestone going into the New Year, turning 119 in a nursing home on Sunday.

Japan’s Kane Tanaka, born on January 2, 1903, has held the mantle for three years. Mrs Tanaka was recognised by Guinness World Records in March 2019 as the world‘s oldest living person at 116 years old, and also achieved an all-time Japanese age record when she turned 118.

“I would like to personally congratulate her soon,” Tanaka‘s 62-year-old grandson, Eiji, said. ”I hope she remains healthy and has fun everyday as she grows older.”

According to Kyodo News, Mrs Tanaka likes testing her wits by solving number puzzles and admitted she is also a fan of fizzy drinks and chocolate.

Her family said her ultimate goal is to live until she’s 120 years old.

Born in 1903, Kane Tanaka is the world's oldest human being.

The title was previously held by Chiyo Miyako, who died aged 117 on Sunday, July 22, 2018. However, Ms Tanaka is not considered the oldest person ever, with that title held by French woman Jeanne Louise Calment, who lived to 122 years.

Ms Tanaka was born prematurely in 1903 and married Hideo Tanaka in 1922, according to the Guinness World Records. The couple had four children and adopted a fifth. During World War II, she worked in a store selling shiruko and udon noodles with her husband.

After Hideo and her son died during the war, she continued working in the store before retiring at the age of 63, local media reported.

Her record age is symbolic of Japan’s fast-ageing population with the number of Japanese people aged over 90 passing two million for the first time in 2017.

The independent reported experts linked Japan’s shrinking population to young people focusing on their careers and abstaining from sex and marriage, as senior citizens lived longer than ever.

According to the publication, a 2017 study found nearly a third of Japanese people entered their 30s without any sexual experience.

The oldest verified man ever is also of Japanese origin – Jiroemon Kimura, who lived to the age of 116 years, 54 days. He was born in 1897 and died of natural causes in 2013.