Shigeko Kagawa has officially become the oldest living Japanese person at 114
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mrs. Shigeko Kagawa (賀川滋子) of Nara Prefecture, has officially became the oldest living person in Japan at 114 years, 62 days of age, after the death of Miyoko Hiroyasu of Oita Prefecture on 29 July 2025.
Shigeko Kagawa was born in Japan on 28 May 1911 (Meiji 44). She was on-site at the 1970 Osaka Expo to respond to emergencies. Even after turning 80, she still continued to work in the community as an obstetrician-gynecologist and physician.
In April 2021, aged 109 (almost 110), Kagawa became the oldest Olympic torchbearer ever. The previous record holder was Aida Mendes (1909–2020), who was 106 at the time when she participated as a torchbearer in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In May 2021, Kagawa celebrated her 110th birthday. In September 2022, she was reported as the oldest living woman in Nara Prefecture; her predecessor, Misayo Yamashita, went to limbo.
Kagawa’s age was verified by Japan’s MHLW and Yumi Yamamoto, and validated by the GRG on 16 May 2023.
Following the death of 114-year-old Miyoko Hiroyasu on 29 July 2025, Kagawa became the oldest validated living person in Japan and Asia.
Kagawa currently lives at home with her family in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture. She eats small meals but eats three solid meals a day, leads a regular lifestyle, watches TV, reads newspapers, and enjoys calligraphy.
Upon becoming the oldest person in Japan, Kagawa reportedly told city officials, “At work, I was called in at difficult times, such as when pregnant women were sick or when labor was difficult. I helped everyone, and I think that the people I helped made were happy and that’s what’s allowed me to live so long.”
Mayor Kiyoshi Ueda (上田清) commented, “I hope you will continue to cheer us up with your wonderful smile.”
Congratulations to Mrs. Shigeko Kagawa! We wish her good health and a long life!
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English: Japan’s oldest woman, 114, was an obstetrician-gynecologist until she was 80
Japanese: 五輪で聖火ランナー、万博で救急対応 最高齢114歳女性「たくさん歩いたのが元気の源」