Japan’s oldest person, 114-year-old woman in Oita Prefecture, dies

OITA, Japan – Japan’s oldest person, Miyoko Hiroyasu, a 114-year-old woman in Nakatsu in Oita Prefecture, southwestern Japan, has died, the government said Wednesday.

Shigeko Kagawa, also a 114-year-old woman in Yamatokoriyama in Nara Prefecture, western Japan, is now the country’s new titleholder following Tuesday’s death in Nakatsu.

Nakatsu Mayor Masanori Okuzuka said, “I heard she had been in poor health, and I am saddened to learn of her death. She was a source of hope and energy for longevity.”

Hiroyasu was born on Jan. 23, 1911, and Kagawa on May 28 of the same year, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.