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World’s oldest person, Nabi Tajima, dies in Japan at the age of 117

Tajima, seen here in 2008, is believed to have had more than 160 descendants.

Tajima, seen here in 2008, is believed to have had more than 160 descendants. Photo: Gerontology Wiki

The world’s oldest person, a 117-year-old Japanese woman, has died.

Nabi Tajima died of old age in a hospital Saturday evening (US time) in the town of Kikai in southern Japan, town official Susumu Yoshiyuki confirmed. She had been hospitalised since January.

Tajima, born on August 4, 1900, was the last known person born in the 19th century. She raised seven sons and two daughters and reportedly had more than 160 descendants, including great-great-great grandchildren.

Her town of Kikai is a small island of about 7000 people halfway between Okinawa and Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands.

Nabi Tajima

Tajima spent her final months in hospital as her health deteriorated. Photo: AP

She became the world’s oldest person seven months ago after the death in September of Violet Brown in Jamaica, also at the age of 117.

Video shown on Japanese television showed Tajima moving her hands to the beat of music played on traditional Japanese instruments at a ceremony to mark the achievement.

Guinness World Records certified 112-year-old Masazo Nonaka of northern Japan as the world’s oldest man earlier this month, and was planning to recognise Tajima as the world’s oldest person. She died before she was officially recognised by them.

Masazo Nonaka is currently the oldest living man and enjoys watching TV and reading newspapers. Photo: Getty

The US-based Gerontology Research Group says that another Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, is now the world’s oldest person in its records. Miyako lives south of Tokyo in Kanagawa prefecture, and is due to turn 117 in 10 days.

Japan is known for the longevity of its people and has been home to several oldest titleholders.

There are around 68,000 people aged 100 or older in the country, the government said last year.

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