Japanese supercentenarians are citizens, residents or emigrants from Japan who have attained or surpassed the age of 110 years. As of January 2015[update], the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) had validated the longevity claims of 263 Japanese supercentenarians, most of whom are women.[1] As of 26 November 2024, the oldest known living Japanese person is Tomiko Itooka (born in Osaka on 23 May 1908), who is aged 116 years, 187 days, who is also the world's oldest living person.[2] The oldest verified Japanese and Asian person ever is Kane Tanaka (1903–2022), who lived to the age of 119 years and 107 days, making her the second oldest validated person ever as well. Japan was also home to the world's oldest man ever, Jiroemon Kimura (1897–2013), who lived to the age of 116 years and 54 days.[3]
Deceased Living
Rank | Name | Sex | Birth date | Death date | Age | Birthplace | Place of death or residence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Kane Tanaka[4] | F | 2 January 1903 | 19 April 2022 | 119 years, 107 days | Fukuoka | Fukuoka |
2 | Nabi Tajima[4] | F | 4 August 1900 | 21 April 2018 | 117 years, 260 days | Kagoshima | Kagoshima |
3 | Chiyo Miyako[4] | F | 2 May 1901 | 22 July 2018 | 117 years, 81 days | Wakayama | Kanagawa |
4 | Misao Okawa[4] | F | 5 March 1898 | 1 April 2015 | 117 years, 27 days | Osaka | Osaka |
5 | Fusa Tatsumi[5] | F | 25 April 1907 | 12 December 2023[6] | 116 years, 231 days | Osaka | Osaka |
6 | Tomiko Itooka[2] | F | 23 May 1908 | Living | 116 years, 187 days | Osaka | Hyōgo |
7 | Tane Ikai[1] | F | 18 January 1879 | 12 July 1995 | 116 years, 175 days | Aichi | Aichi |
8 | Jiroemon Kimura[1] | M | 19 April 1897 | 12 June 2013 | 116 years, 54 days | Kyoto | Kyoto |
9 | Shigeyo Nakachi[4] | F | 1 February 1905 | 11 January 2021 | 115 years, 345 days | Saga | Saga |
10 | Shimoe Akiyama[4] | F | 19 May 1903 | 29 January 2019 | 115 years, 255 days | (unknown) | Aichi |
11 | Anonymous[4] | F | 15 March 1900 | 27 September 2015 | 115 years, 196 days | (unknown) | Tokyo |
12 | Shin Matsushita[4] | F | 30 March 1904 | 27 August 2019 | 115 years, 150 days | Miyagi | Miyagi |
13 | Okagi Hayashi[2] | F | 2 September 1909 | Living | 115 years, 85 days | Gifu | Gifu |
14 | Mina Kitagawa[4] | F | 3 November 1905 | 19 December 2020 | 115 years, 46 days | Shiga | Shiga |
15 | Yoshi Otsunari[4] | F | 17 December 1906 | 26 January 2022 | 115 years, 40 days | (unknown) | Fukuoka |
16 | Koto Ōkubo[1][7] | F | 24 December 1897 | 12 January 2013 | 115 years, 19 days | Tokyo | Kanagawa |
17 | Chiyono Hasegawa[1] | F | 20 November 1896 | 2 December 2011 | 115 years, 12 days | Saga | Saga |
18 | Anonymous[4] | F | 29 April 1907 | 30 April 2022 | 115 years, 1 day | (unknown) | Hyōgo |
19 | Kama Chinen[1] | F | 10 May 1895 | 2 May 2010 | 114 years, 357 days | Okinawa | Okinawa |
20 | Kahoru Furuya[4] | F | 18 February 1908 | 25 December 2022[8] | 114 years, 310 days | (unknown) | Shizuoka |
21 | Kiyoko Ishiguro[4] | F | 4 March 1901 | 5 December 2015 | 114 years, 276 days | Tokyo | Kanagawa |
22 | Yukie Hino[4] | F | 17 April 1902 | 13 January 2017 | 114 years, 271 days | (unknown) | Niigata |
23 | Hide Ohira[1] | F | 15 September 1880 | 9 May 1995 | 114 years, 236 days | Wakayama | Wakayama |
24 | Masa Matsumoto[9] | F | 29 November 1909 | 9 July 2024[10] | 114 years, 223 days | Shiga | Kanagawa |
25 | Yone Minagawa[1] | F | 4 January 1893 | 13 August 2007 | 114 years, 221 days | Fukuoka | Fukuoka |
26 | Ura Koyama[1] | F | 30 August 1890 | 5 April 2005 | 114 years, 218 days | Hiroshima | Fukuoka |
27 | Yoshi Baba[4] | F | 3 June 1907 | 4 January 2022 | 114 years, 215 days | Yamanashi | Yamanashi |
28 | Iso Nakamura[4] | F | 23 April 1903 | 23 November 2017 | 114 years, 214 days | Ishikawa | Ishikawa |
29 | Mitsue Toyoda[4] | F | 15 February 1902 | 25 August 2016 | 114 years, 192 days | (unknown) | Ōita |
30 | Tase Matsunaga[1] | F | 11 May 1884 | 18 November 1998 | 114 years, 191 days | Niigata | Tokyo |
Kame Ganeko[4] | F | 10 April 1905 | 18 October 2019 | Okinawa | Okinawa | ||
32 | Yukichi Chuganji[1] | M | 23 March 1889 | 28 September 2003 | 114 years, 189 days | Fukuoka | Fukuoka |
33 | Kame Nakamura[1] | F | 8 March 1898 | 12 September 2012 | 114 years, 188 days | Okinawa | Okinawa |
34 | Mitoyo Kawate[1] | F | 15 May 1889 | 13 November 2003 | 114 years, 182 days | Hiroshima | Hiroshima |
35 | Ina Okazawa[9] | F | 10 March 1910 | 9 August 2024[11] | 114 years, 152 days | Ibaraki | Ibaraki |
36 | Toshie Yorimitsu[4] | F | 30 September 1901 | 28 February 2016 | 114 years, 151 days | Kōchi | Okinawa |
37 | Ushi Makishi[12] | F | 15 February 1909 | 4 July 2023[13] | 114 years, 139 days | Okinawa | Okinawa |
38 | Kimiko Ono[14] | F | 20 June 1908 | 31 October 2022 | 114 years, 133 days | Wakayama | Osaka |
39 | Tae Ito[4] | F | 11 July 1903 | 13 November 2017 | 114 years, 125 days | Iwate | Iwate |
40 | Hama Yasukawa[4] | F | 19 January 1907 | 23 May 2021 | 114 years, 124 days | Hyōgo | Hyōgo |
41 | Chiyo Shiraishi[1] | F | 6 August 1895 | 19 November 2009 | 114 years, 105 days | Fukushima | Ibaraki |
42 | Hisako Shiroishi[9] | F | 19 May 1910 | 26 August 2024[15] | 114 years, 99 days | Saitama | Saitama |
43 | Michiko Yamazaki[16] | F | 28 July 1905 | 31 October 2019 | 114 years, 95 days | Nagano | Nagano |
44 | Asa Takii[1] | F | 28 April 1884 | 31 July 1998 | 114 years, 94 days | Hiroshima | Hiroshima |
45 | Tane Matsubara[9] | F | 15 October 1909 | 16 January 2024[17] | 114 years, 93 days | Tochigi | Hokkaido |
46 | Mine Kondō[2] | F | 1 September 1910 | Living | 114 years, 86 days | Aichi | Aichi |
47 | Waka Shirahama[18] | F | 26 March 1878 | 16 June 1992 | 114 years, 82 days | Kagoshima | Miyazaki |
Osugi Sogo[19] | F | 14 August 1905 | 4 November 2019 | Hiroshima | Ehime | ||
49 | Suekiku Miyanaga[1] | F | 7 April 1884 | 20 June 1998 | 114 years, 74 days | Kagoshima | Kagoshima |
50 | Yasue Okai[5] | F | 25 November 1908 | 6 February 2023 | 114 years, 73 days | Osaka | Osaka |
51 | Shige Hirooka[1] | F | 16 January 1897 | 29 March 2011 | 114 years, 72 days | (unknown) | Osaka |
52 | Hide Hamabe[5] | F | 3 December 1908 | 10 January 2023[20] | 114 years, 38 days | Miyazaki | Miyazaki |
Seki Yoshida[21] | F | 4 January 1910 | 11 February 2024[22] | Ibaraki | Ibaraki | ||
54 | Tomoe Iwata[4] | F | 25 March 1904 | 13 April 2018 | 114 years, 19 days | Iwate | Irate |
55 | Tane Yonekura[4] | F | 2 May 1904 | 19 May 2018 | 114 years, 17 days | (unknown) | |
56 | Kura Bingo[4] | F | 20 October 1905 | 31 October 2019 | 114 years, 11 days | (unknown) | Nara |
57 | Yoshiyo Bessho[4] | F | 1 April 1904 | 8 April 2018 | 114 years, 7 days | Okayama | Okayama |
58 | Kikue Taira[9] | F | 26 April 1910 | 18 April 2024 | 113 years, 358 days | Okinawa | Okinawa |
59 | Hatsue Ono[1] | F | 31 October 1898 | 17 October 2012 | 113 years, 352 days | Iwate | Hokkaido |
61 | Fujiko Mihara[2] | F | 13 December 1910 | Living | 113 years, 349 days | Ehime | Ehime |
60 | Yasu Akino[1] | F | 1 March 1885 | 12 February 1999 | 113 years, 348 days | Shizuoka | Shizuoka |
62 | Masu Usui[2] | F | 18 December 1910 | Living | 113 years, 344 days | Shizuoka | Shizuoka |
63 | Nahi Yonamine[4] | F | 9 March 1908 | 7 February 2022 | 113 years, 335 days | Okinawa | Okinawa |
64 | Shinobu Hayashi[23] | F | 15 March 1909 | 25 January 2023 | 113 years, 316 days | Kumamoto | Kumamoto |
65 | Miyoko Hiroyasu[2] | F | 23 January 1911 | Living | 113 years, 308 days | Ōita | Ōita |
66 | Kiyo Komatsu[2] | F | 27 January 1911 | Living | 113 years, 304 days | Ishikawa | Saitama |
67 | Sayo Taminato[4] | F | 15 October 1906 | 7 August 2020 | 113 years, 297 days | Okinawa | Okinawa |
Fumi Hoshino[4] | F | 30 October 1908 | 23 August 2022 | Tokyo | Tokyo | ||
69 | Kimi Asanuma[4] | F | 3 November 1905 | 22 August 2019 | 113 years, 292 days | (unknown) | Tokyo |
70 | Tsuneyo Toyonaga[1] | F | 21 May 1894 | 22 February 2008 | 113 years, 277 days | Kōchi | Kōchi |
71 | Tomoji Tanabe[1] | M | 18 September 1895 | 19 June 2009 | 113 years, 274 days | Miyazaki | Miyazaki |
72 | Mitsue Nagasaki[1] | F | 18 September 1899 | 17 June 2013 | 113 years, 272 days | Kumamoto | Hiroshima |
73 | Hisa Ono[24] | F | 8 December 1905 | 4 September 2019 | 113 years, 270 days | Saga | Saga |
74 | Shizue Nagata[4] | F | 25 July 1903 | 12 April 2017 | 113 years, 261 days | (unknown) | Kumamoto |
Teru Ōshiro[25] | F | 10 May 1904 | 26 January 2018 | Okinawa | Okinawa | ||
Kimi Kawasaki[26] | F | 24 March 1909 | 10 December 2022 | Chiba | Kanagawa | ||
77 | Hatsuno Gotō[4] | F | 1 September 1903 | 15 May 2017 | 113 years, 256 days | Niigata | Tokyo |
78 | Tsurue Amō[4] | F | 1 March 1904 | 6 November 2017 | 113 years, 250 days | (unknown) | Tokushima |
79 | Katsuko Tago[27] | F | 28 March 1910 | 1 December 2023[28] | 113 years, 248 days | Nagano | Tokyo |
80 | Katsue Kurimoto[4] | F | 20 March 1907 | 22 November 2020 | 113 years, 247 days | Tokushima | Nara |
81 | Nobu Kōno[2] | F | 28 March 1911 | Living | 113 years, 243 days | Ibaraki | Kanagawa |
82 | Hisa Arai[4] | F | 10 September 1904 | 4 May 2018 | 113 years, 236 days | Gifu | Gifu |
83 | Shige Mineshiba[29] | F | 18 May 1909 | 6 January 2023[30] | 113 years, 233 days | Aichi | Canada |
84 | Shitsu Nakano[1] | F | 1 January 1894 | 19 August 2007 | 113 years, 230 days | Fukuoka | Fukuoka |
85 | Taka Tsuji[4] | F | 6 August 1906 | 4 March 2020 | 113 years, 211 days | Saga | Saga |
86 | Shina Seki[5] | F | 1 October 1909 | 25 April 2023[31] | 113 years, 206 days | Ibaraki | Ibaraki |
87 | Tsukimi Kishi[4] | F | 31 August 1905 | 19 March 2019 | 113 years, 200 days | Tochigi | Tochigi |
88 | Mitsuno Sato[32] | F | 9 April 1909 | 6 October 2022 | 113 years, 180 days | Akita | Akita |
89 | Masazō Nonaka[4] | M | 25 July 1905 | 20 January 2019 | 113 years, 179 days | Hokkaido | Hokkaido |
90 | Kiku Usami[4] | F | 1 September 1904 | 26 February 2018 | 113 years, 178 days | (unknown) | Niigata |
91 | Tame Yamaguchi[4] | F | 20 March 1907 | 6 September 2020 | 113 years, 170 days | Kagoshima | Miyazaki |
92 | Masa Iseri[4] | F | 19 September 1902 | 5 March 2016 | 113 years, 168 days | (unknown) | Kumamoto |
93 | Koito Furukawa[1] | F | 8 May 1901 | 11 October 2014 | 113 years, 156 days | Tokushima | Tokushima |
94 | Katsue Hiraishi[4] | F | 9 June 1904 | 6 November 2017 | 113 years, 150 days | Tokushima | Tokushima |
95 | Yoshino Tanaka[1] | F | 3 March 1900 | 30 July 2013 | 113 years, 149 days | Okinawa | Nagasaki |
96 | Terue Ashida[1] | F | 20 September 1899 | 15 February 2013 | 113 years, 148 days | Hyōgo | Hyōgo |
97 | Kesa Yamada[4] | F | 30 March 1907 | 15 August 2020 | 113 years, 138 days | Gunma | Gunma |
98 | Komiya Miyazaki[1] | F | 20 August 1897 | 4 January 2011 | 113 years, 137 days | Hiroshima | Hiroshima |
99 | Mise Ito[1] | F | 6 November 1890 | 18 March 2004 | 113 years, 133 days | Shizuoka | Shizuoka |
100 | Jun Kitamasu[1] | F | 2 March 1900 | 11 July 2013 | 113 years, 131 days | Hiroshima | Hiroshima |
Tane Ikai (猪飼たね, Ikai Tane, 18 January 1879 – 12 July 1995) had been, at the time of her death, Japan’s oldest person following the death of 114-year old Waka Shirahama in 1992, while also being the first person in Japan to reach the ages of 115 and 116 and being the last Japanese person born in the 1870s.
Tane Ikai was born in Aichi, Empire of Japan on 18 January 1879. She married at the age of 20 and had three sons and a daughter. She separated from her husband in 1917 at the age of 38.
On a typical day, Ikai would eat three very basic meals of rice porridge. In 1968, at the age of 89, she moved into a nursing home where she was to live for the next 20 years. She played an active role in activities at the home and enjoyed making pottery and sewing until suffering her first stroke in 1978 at the age of 99. In 1988, at the age of 109, Ikai suffered another stroke and was moved to a hospital, where she remained bedridden for the rest of her life. She died of kidney failure on 12 July 1995.
Denzō Ishizaki (石崎 伝蔵, Ishizaki Denzō, 2 October 1886 (or 1884?) – 29 April 1999) was an elementary school teacher and town assembly member in his hometown Kansago, Ibaraki Prefecture. At the time of his death, Ishizaki had been the world's oldest living man for almost 18 weeks, as well as the 9th oldest living person in the world.[33] He died of multiple organ failure on 29 April 1999 at age 112 (or 114?) years and 209 days,[34] and was the oldest Japanese man ever (until October 2001, when his record was broken by Yukichi Chuganji). However, Ishizaki claimed to be two years older, asserting that his birth register had been "delayed by two years".[35] In July 2023, LongeviQuest determined that Ishizaki was born 18 days earlier than previously believed, based on his family records.[36]
Yukichi Chuganji (中願寺 雄吉; Chūganji Yūkichi, 23 March 1889 – 28 September 2003) was a Japanese silkworm breeder, instructor in the agricultural specialty, bank employee and community welfare officer who lived for 114 years and 189 days. At the time of his death, he was the oldest Japanese man ever and the world's oldest living person.
He didn't like to eat vegetables but liked beef, pork and chicken. He also ate toffee, drank milk, the occasional apple juice and only drank alcohol in moderation, which he believed were the secrets to a long life. During the last years of his life, he had failing eye sight and was bedridden. He died of natural causes on the evening of 28 September 2003, after being served a glass of apple juice by his 74-year-old daughter, who was his only living child.[37] Besides 5 children, Chuganji also had 7 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
Misao Okawa (大川ミサヲ, Okawa Misao, 5 March 1898 – 1 April 2015) became the world’s oldest living person followed the death of 116-year old Jiroemon Kimura in 2013 until her own death in 2015.
Misao Okawa was born to a kimono maker family on 5 March 1898 in Tenma-Ku (now Kita-ku), Osaka Prefecture, Empire of Japan. Prior to her marriage, she helped with her family's clothing business. In 1919, she married her husband Yukio, who ran his own business in Kobe. They had three children, two daughters and a son. As of February 2013, only one of her daughters, Shizuyo, and her son Hiroshi, were still alive. Her other daughter had died before her. Okawa's husband was a modern man. He enjoyed a cup of coffee and eating bread on Sundays, which was uncommon back in the 1920s. Sadly, after only twelve years of marriage, Yukio Okawa died on 20 June 1931 at the age of 36 from heart disease.[38] Following the death of her husband, Okawa moved back to Osaka with her three children. She never remarried. After establishing a new Koseki in 1951, Okawa's younger daughter got married, followed up by her oldest daughter in 1953 and her son in 1956. From there, Okawa lived with her son and daughter-in-law. In 2000, she broke her leg at the age of 102. She said that she was doing leg squats. She was able to walk until she was age 110, after which she needed a wheelchair to prevent her from falling over.
Okawa died in Higashisumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Japan, on 1 April 2015 from heart failure, at the age of 117 years, 27 days.
Nabi Tajima (田島 ナビ, Tajima Nabi, 4 August 1900 – 21 April 2018)[39][40][41] succeeded Violet Brown as the world's oldest person after Brown's death on 16 September 2017. She died seven months later and was the last person verified as having been born in the 19th century.[42]
Tajima was born and died on the small island of Kikaijima in the Amami Islands chain, about halfway between Okinawa and the main Japanese islands. Her husband, Tominishi Tajima (田島 富二子), died aged 93 in 1991.[43][44] She had nine children, seven sons and two daughters,[43] and in September 2017 she was reported to have had around 160 descendants, including great-great-great-grandchildren.[45] She stated that her longevity was due to sleeping soundly and eating delicious food.[42] Guinness World Records was planning to certify Tajima as the world's oldest person, but she died at a nursing home in Kikai shortly before they could do so.[46][47]
She died at age 117 years and 260 days on 21 April 2018, and was the oldest Japanese person ever until Kane Tanaka surpassed her age on 19 September 2020.[48]
Yasutaro Koide (小出 保太郎, Koide Yasutarō, 13 March 1903 – 19 January 2016) worked as a tailor for a men's clothes shop in Tsuruga, Fukui.[49] He moved to Nagoya when he was 107 years old, to live with his daughter.[50] When he turned 110, Koide could still read newspapers without eyeglasses and eat without dentures.[51]
On 31 March 2014, Koide became the oldest living person in Aichi Prefecture following the death of Nagoya resident Tsuya Miura, who died at the age of 111.[52] The following year, he became the oldest living man in the world following the death of Sakari Momoi on 5 July 2015,[53] a feat which was recognized by Guinness World Records on 21 August 2015.[49] When asked about the secret to his long life, Koide responded by stating that "the best thing is to not overdo" and recommending abstinence from smoking or drinking.[50]
Koide died on 19 January 2016 due to heart failure and pneumonia in a hospital in Nagoya at the age of 112 years, 312 days.[54]
Masazō Nonaka (野中 正造, Nonaka Masazō, 25 July 1905 – 20 January 2019) had been, at the time of his death, Japan's oldest living man since October 2016,[55] and the world's oldest living man for one year, since January 2018.[56] Nonaka was also the oldest person ever born in Hokkaidō.
He had two brothers and three sisters; Nonaka married Hatsuno Nonaka in 1931. They had five children, of whom three were living as of his death.[57] He ran the family onsen, which opened in 1905. He spent most of his later years in a wheelchair, crediting his longevity to eating sweets and relaxing in the hot springs.[58][59] Nonaka died on 20 January 2019, aged 113 years and 179 days.[57][60]
Fusa Tatsumi (巽フサ, Tatsumi Fusa, 25 April 1907 – 12 December 2023) was a Japanese supercentenarian. She was Japan's oldest living person after the death of Kane Tanaka on 19 April 2022.[61][62]
Fusa Tatsumi was born in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, Empire of Japan on 25 April 1907.[61] Tatsumi moved into the Hakuto nursing home in Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture, Japan in 2013. When she came to the nursing home she was in relatively good health, and was able to do gymnastics from her wheelchair. Aged 110, she was still able to do her own makeup.[63] She was bedridden and rarely spoke in her later years.[64][65] After the death of Lucile Randon of France on 17 January 2023, Tatsumi became the second-oldest living person in the world behind Maria Branyas, a Californian-born woman of Catalan descent.[66][65][67] The pair were the last two living people verified to have been born in 1907.[2] Tatsumi died of respiratory failure on 12 December 2023, aged 116 years and 231 days.[68]
Tomiko Itooka (糸岡富子, Itooka Tomiko, born 23 May 1908) is a Japanese supercentenarian. She is Japan's oldest living person since the death of Fusa Tatsumi on 12 December 2023.[69] Tomiko Itooka was born in Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Empire of Japan on 23 May 1908.[69] She moved into a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyōgo in 2019. She was at the time still able to move independently, but now mainly uses a wheelchair. On 19 August 2024, following Maria Branyas' death, she became the world's oldest living person.
Okagi Hayashi (林 おかぎ, Hayashi Okagi, born 2 September 1909)[2] is a Japanese supercentenarian, who is currently the 2nd oldest living person in Japan behind Tomiko Itooka and the 4th oldest-living person.[70]
Okagi Hayashi was born in the village of Tsumagi (now Tsumagicho, Toki), Gifu Prefecture, Empire of Japan, on 2 September 1909. Her father was a grain wholesaler. After graduating from elementary school, she entered Nakatsu Girls' High School. At the same time she started school, she left her parents' house and lived in a high school dormitory.[71] In her early 20s, Hayashi married an elementary school teacher. Her husband was adopted into the Hayashi family, so she never changed her maiden name.[72] They lived in Hokkaido Prefecture until her first son was born, and then returned to Toki where she took over her family's grain wholesale business. The couple had nine children in total.[73] She has been very cautious of her health since mid-life, drinking her homemade green juice every morning and exercising along with her husband. Until she was in her 80s, she enjoyed going on hot spring trips and gardening with her friends from school days. Hayashi practiced calligraphy until she was in her 90s. She lived with her family in her home until she was 105. At the time of her 110th birthday, she had eight living children, 22 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and five great-great-grandchildren.[74][75] At the age of 112, she was still able to read newspapers and enjoyed playing puzzle games.[76] Hayashi currently lives in Tsumagicho, Toki City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan.