Tomiko Itooka celebrated her 116th birthday at the nursing home where she lived in Ashiya. (AP: Ashiya City)
In short:
A Japanese woman who was the world's oldest person according to Guinness World Records has died.
Tomiko Itooka, 116, is survived by two children and five grandchildren.
The world's oldest person is now 116-year-old Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas.
A Japanese woman who was the world's oldest person according to Guinness World Records has died, an Ashiya city official says.
Tomiko Itooka was 116 and died at a care home in Ashiya in the Hyogo Prefecture, according to elderly policies official Yoshitsugu Nagata.
Ms Itooka, who loved bananas and a yoghurt-flavoured Japanese drink called Calpis, was born in 1908.
She became the oldest person last year after the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Gerontology Research Group.
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Photo shows An old woman wearing a blue shirt
Ashiya's Mayor Ryosuke Takashima thanked Ms Itooka for giving the community "courage and hope" throughout her life.
When Ms Itooka celebrated her birthday last year, she received flowers, a cake and a card from the mayor.
Ms Itooka was born in Osaka and played volleyball in high school.
She was married at the age of 20 and had four children, according to Guinness.
During World War II, Ms Itooka managed the office of her husband's textile factory and lived alone in Nara after her husband died in 1979.
She is survived by a son and a daughter, and five grandchildren.
According to the Gerontology Research Group, the world's oldest person is now 116-year-old Brazilian nun Inah Canabarro Lucas who was born 16 days after Ms Itooka.
AP/AFP