Tomiko Itooka, Japan’s oldest living person celebrated her 116th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group is pleased to announce that Mrs. Tomiko Itooka, the oldest living person in Japan and the second-oldest living person in the world, celebrated her 116th birthday in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan on 23 May 2024.
Tomiko Itooka was born in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan on 23 May 1908 as the second (eldest daughter) of three siblings.
After graduating from elementary school, she went on to girls school (currently Osaka Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School) and belonged to the volleyball club.
After graduating from girls school, Itooka got married around the age of 20 and gave birth to her eldest daughter at the age of 21, and she had two daughters and two sons. During the war, she replaced her husband who ran a textile factory in South Korea, and she alone protected a Japanese office and raised her children.
After her husband died in 1979, Itooka lived alone in her husband’s hometown of Nara Prefecture for about 10 years. During that period, she frequently enjoyed climbing Mt. Nijo, which straddles Nara and Osaka prefectures. She also climbed Mt. Ontake (elevation 3000m), which straddles Nagano and Gifu prefectures, twice. The guide was surprised when she climbed the mountain because she wore ordinary sneakers instead of hiking shoes.
When she was in her 80s, Itooka also participated in the Osaka 33 Kannon Pilgrimage (33 temple pilgrimages) twice. When she was 100 years old, she climbed the long stone steps of Ashiya Shrine without a cane and worshiped. She visited Yakushiji Temple in Nara Prefecture many times, and she liked to write sutras.
In May 2018, Itooka celebrated her 110th birthday and became a supercentenarian.
Following the death of a 115-year-old anonymous woman on 30 April 2022, Itooka became the oldest living person in Hyogo Prefecture.
On 12 December 2023, following the death of 116-year-old Fusa Tatsumi, Itooka became the oldest living person in Japan and Asia.
On 22 February 2024, following the death of 116-year-old Edie Ceccarelli, Itooka became the second-oldest living person in the world, behind Maria Branyas Morera.
