Kane Tanaka

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Kane Tanaka
Native name
田中カ子
Born(1903-01-02)2 January 1903
(age 116 years, 39 days)
Kazuki Village (now Fukuoka), Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
ResidenceHigashi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Known for
  • Oldest living person
    (22 July 2018 - present)

Kane Tanaka (田中カ子, Tanaka Kane, born 2 January 1903) is, at the age of 116 years, 39 days, the world's oldest verified living person following the death of 117-year-old Chiyo Miyako on 22 July 2018.[1]

Biography[edit]

Tanaka was born on 2 January 1903 in the village of Kazuki (now part of Fukuoka), Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, on the southern island of Kyushu.[2] Tanaka was born prematurely and raised on breast milk from women other than her mother.[3] During World War II, she worked in a store selling rice cakes with her husband Hideo. After Hideo and her son died during the war, she continued working in the store before retiring at age 63.[2] In the 1970s, she visited the United States, where she has several nieces and nephews.[4]

At age 103, Tanaka was diagnosed with colon cancer and survived.[2] When she was 107, her son wrote a book about her, which discusses her life and longevity and is titled In Good and Bad Times, 107 Years Old. At 113, during an interview with the Japanese TV news organization TNC from her nursing home, she stated, "Since I came so far, I have no choice but to try harder. I will do my best!"[5] She was interviewed by KBC in September 2017 when she was 114.[6]

At the time of Chiyo Miyako’s death, Tanaka lived in a nursing home in the Higashi-ku ward of Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. She was still in good health and occupied her time by playing the board game Othello and taking short walks in the facility's hallways.[7] Her hobbies include calligraphy and calculations.[8] She credits family, sleep and hope as her secrets for longevity.[9] In July 2018 she said she would like to live another five years to the age of 120.[2]

Tanaka has credited eating foods such as rice, small fish and soup, as well as drinking lots of water, a diet she said she has followed since she was about 112 years old.[not in citation given] She also credited a strong appetite and her liking sweets, plus drinking three cans a day of canned coffee, carbonated drinks, and various nutritional drinks.[2][8] Her great-nephew, Gary Funakoshi, told the San Diego Union-Tribune that Tanaka attributes her longevity to her faith in the Kami.[4] Following the death of Shimoe Akiyama, Tanaka became the last surviving Japanese person born in 1903.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Validated Living Supercentenarians". grg.org. Gerontology Research Group. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017. The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) lists people as living whose age has been validated and confirmed to be alive within the past year.
  2. ^ a b c d e Kashiwagi, Toshihiro (27 July 2018). 国内最高齢１１５歳、入所者励ます「頑張りんしゃい」 [At 115, the oldest woman in Japan advises citizens to "try hard"]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  3. ^ Hoda, Masashi (27 July 2018). 田中カ子さん１１５歳「死ぬ気全然せんです」 [Japan's oldest woman, Kanako Tanaka, at 115: "I do not feel like dying at all"]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  4. ^ a b McIntosh, Linda (6 June 2016). "San Marcos couple celebrate aunt's 113th year". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  5. ^ 国内最高齢は１１５歳　福岡市の田中カ子さん　１９０３年生まれで健康状態良好　老人ホームで生活 [The oldest person in Japan is 115 years old: Kanji Tanaka of Fukuoka city, born in 1903, in good health, lives in a nursing home.] (in Japanese). TNC. 27 July 2018. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  6. ^ "元気に長生きする秘けつ" [The secret to a healthy long life] (in Japanese). KBC. 19 September 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  7. ^ "Japan's oldest person Chiyo Miyako dies at 117". The Japan Times. Kyodo. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  8. ^ a b １１５歳国内最高齢の田中カ子さん「みんなのおかげ」と感謝　カフェオレ毎日３、４本 [Oldest person in the country, Kane Tanaka, 115, says "thanks to everyone" and enjoys 3 or 4 café au lait every day]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 27 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
  9. ^ Brennan, David (27 July 2018). "Who is the World's oldest Person? Chiyo Miyako Dies At 117, Passing Title To Kane Tanaka". Newsweek. Retrieved 27 July 2018.

External links[edit]

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