Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman who was the world\u2019s oldest person according to Guinness World Records, has died, an Ashiya city official said Saturday. She was 116. <\/p>\n
Yoshitsugu Nagata, an official in charge of elderly policies, said Itooka died on December 29 at a care home in Ashiya, Hyogo Prefecture, central Japan. <\/p>\n
Itooka, who loved bananas and a yogurt-flavored Japanese drink called Calpis, was born on May 23, 1908. She became the oldest person last year following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Gerontology Research Group. <\/p>\n
When she was told she was at the top of the World Supercentenarian Rankings List, she simply replied, \u201cThank you.\u201d <\/p>\n
When Itooka celebrated her birthday last year, she received flowers, a cake and a card from the mayor. <\/p>\n
Born in Osaka, Itooka was a volleyball player in high school, and long had a reputation for a sprightly spirit, Nagata said. She climbed the 3,067-meter (10,062-foot) Mount Ontake twice. <\/p>\n
She married at 20, and had two daughters and two sons, according to Guinness. <\/p>\n
Itooka managed the office of her husband\u2019s textile factory during World War II. She lived alone in Nara after her husband died in 1979. <\/p>\n
She is survived by one son and one daughter, and five grandchildren. A funeral service was held with family and friends, according to Nagata. <\/p>\n
According to the Gerontology Research Group, the world\u2019s oldest person is now 116-year-old Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas, who was born 16 days after Itooka. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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