Kane Tanaka, a Japanese woman who was officially recognized as the world’s oldest human being, died on April 19 at the age of 119, local authorities announced on Monday April 25.
Born on January 2, 1903, Kane Tanaka married Hideo Tanaka in 1922. Together they had four children and adopted a fifth.
The doyenne of humanity loved mathematics, soda and chocolate. Guinness World Records confirmed on Saturday March 9, 2019 that she was the oldest living person in the world. Asked about the best moment of her life, she had simply answered: “now”.
She used to wake up early, at 6 a.m. In the afternoons, she studied mathematics and practiced calligraphy. “One of her favorite pastimes is the game Othello, she has become an expert in this classic board game to the point of often managing to beat the staff of the house”, indicated the Guinness World Records in 2019.
The official enthronement of this Japanese had been celebrated in the retirement home of Fukuoka (west) where she resided, in the presence of the mayor of the city.
She was relatively healthy until recently. Indeed, Kane Tanaka had planned to participate in a wheelchair in the Tokyo Olympics torch relay in 2021, but had given up because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Japan, known for the long life expectancy of its inhabitants, can boast of being the homeland of several deans, including Masazo Nonaka, who died last January at the age of 113 when he was the man oldest in the world, and Jiroemon Kimura, who died in 2013 at the age of 116. The latter holds the record for male longevity.