Ina Okazawa, Ibaraki Prefecture’s oldest living person, dies at 114
The Gerontology Research Group is saddened to report news that Mrs. Ina Okazawa, the oldest living person in Ibaraki Prefecture and the third-oldest living person in Japan, died in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan on 9 August 2024 at the age of 114 years, 152 days.
Ina Okazawa was born in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan on 10 March 1910. She married at some point in her life and had four children, eight grandchildren, and at least four great-grandchildren. While raising her children, she lived in Nagano Prefecture. Her hobbies reportedly included haiku and calligraphy. In the summer of 2013, her family gathered to celebrate her 103rd birthday with a large party, attended by 23 relatives.
In March 2020, Okazawa celebrated her 110th birthday and became a supercentenarian.
On 6 February 2023, following the death of 114-year-old Yasue Okai, Okazawa entered the top ten oldest validated living people in Japan, although her age was not yet validated at the time.
On 11 February 2024, following the death of 114-year-old Seki Yoshida, Okazawa became the oldest living person in Ibaraki Prefecture.
On 22 February 2024, following the death of 116-year-old Edie Ceccarelli, Okazawa entered the top ten oldest validated living people.
On 24 June 2024, Okazawa surpassed the age of Chiyo Shiraishi, becoming the oldest person ever to have lived in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Her age was verified by MHLW Japan, Robert Young, Wacław Jan Kroczek and Dejan Vujić, and validated by the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) on 24 April 2024. At the time of her death, she was the eighth-oldest living person in the world, as well as the third-oldest living person in Japan, after Tomiko Itooka and Okagi Hayashi.
