Japanese daughter of a kimono maker, who once declared that life seemed too short, died peacefully as if she had fallen asleep, nurses said

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The world’s oldest person, Misao Okawa of Japan, has died a few weeks after celebrating her 117th birthday.



Okawa succumbed to heart failure surrounded by relatives and nursing home workers who praised her for achieving a long, healthy life.

Tomohiro Okada, who worked at her nursing home in Osaka, said: “She went so peacefully, as if she had just fallen asleep. We miss her a lot.”

Okawa, who was born in Osaka on 5 March 1898, was recognised as the world’s oldest person by Guinness World Records in 2013.

Life seems short, says world's oldest person at 117 Read more

Guinness World Records said it was in the process of discovering who would replace her as the world’s oldest person.

Japan’s ministry of health, labour and welfare said a 115-year-old woman in Tokyo had succeeded Okawa as the country’s oldest person. It said the name of the woman, who was born on 15 March 1900, was not released at the request of her family.

Okawa had been eating well until losing her appetite 10 days ago, enjoying her daily cup of coffee and her favourite dishes such as ramen, Okada said.

The daughter of a kimono maker, she said at her recent birthday celebration that her life had seemed rather short. Asked for the secret of her longevity, Okawa responded nonchalantly: “I wonder about that too.”

She married her husband, Yukio, in 1919, and they had two daughters and a son. She was survived by four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Yukio died in 1931.

Japan has the most centenarians in the world, with more than 58,000, according to the country’s government. About 87% of them are women.