Kane Tanaka: World’s Oldest Person Celebrates 119th Birthday in Nursing Home, Hopes to Reach 120
- The world's oldest woman Kane Tanaka is now 119 years old having celebrated her birthday on Sunday
- Tanaka was born in 1903 in Japan and later got married at 19 years to the owner of a rice shop where she worked all her adult life
- The world got a glimpse of the celebrations held in a nursing home in Fukuoka Japan through her great-granddaughter Junko's tweets
PAY ATTENTION: Click “See First” under the “Following” tab to see YEN.com.gh News on your News Feed!
World's oldest woman, Kane Tanaka, is now a year older having celebrated her birthday on Sunday, January 2.
Source: Twitter
A great achievement
The lucky Japanese woman who holds the coveted title is now 119 years old, which is not an easy feat these days.
Tanaka's great-granddaughter Junko Tanaka excitedly announced the new development to the world in a tweet and termed the 119 birthday as a great achievement.
Enjoy reading our stories? Join YEN.com.gh's Telegram channel for more!
In a photo shared by Junko, a happy Tanaka could be seen flashing the peace sign while she was waving in another of the photos.
"Great achievement. (Kane Tanaka) reached 119 years of age. I hope you'll continue to live life cheerfully and to the fullest.," said Junko
Remains in a nursing home
Junko last saw her great-grandmother in December as she remains in a nursing home based in Fukuoka, Japan.
Along with the sweet message came photos of two commemorative Coca-Cola bottles that Tanaka was given for her birthday, with labels bearing her name and age to personalise them.
"Birthday gift 1: Introducing the presents received for Kane's birthday. Really appreciate this gift. Coca-Cola company made a commemorative birthday bottle. It seems (Kane) is still drinking Coca-Cola as usual," said Junko.
Married rice shop owner
Tanaka was born in 1903 and later married a man who owned a rice shop; a place where she worked until the grand old age of 103 years.
Given her age, Tanaka has lived a full life that also saw her survive the Spanish flu and two world wars in addition to 49 Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
Junko started the Twitter account in January 2020 to commemorate Tanaka's life. In a March 2021 interview with CNN Junkpo said she wanted to share that (Tanaka's life) with the world for people to feel inspired and feel her joy.
"I might be biased because I'm related to her but I think it's kind of amazing," Junko said.
Secrets to long life
Elsewhere, a 106-year-old woman has advised people to have a sense of humour if they want to live long.
Additionally, Nancy Stewart pointed out avoiding alcohol and cigarettes may also help in longevity.
Our manifesto: This is what YEN.com.gh believes in
Source: YEN.com.gh
Naa Ayeley Aryee Naa Ayeley is a creative writer with over ten years of experience in journalism and media. She started writing for YEN in 2017 as an editor on the entertainment desk and later became a monitoring editor.
Aba Afful (Copyeditor) Maame Aba serves as a copy editor at YEN.com.gh. She naturally enjoys working with words and has an eye for quality content. She has a keen interest in cyberspace and wants to see YEN.com.gh produce more impactful, thought-provoking, and error-free content. Aba has five years of experience as a content writer, blogger, author, and proofreader. She graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 2017. She joined the team in 2021.
