Ashiya, Hyōgo Prefecture — Today, on September 16, Yumi Yamamoto, President of LQ Japan and a representative of LongeviQuest, attended a special ceremony honoring Tomiko Itooka‘s recognition as the oldest person in Japan and the world. The event took place during the celebration of Respect for the Aged Day.

Among the guests at the ceremony were officials from Ashiya City Hall, representatives from Asahi Beverage Co., Ltd., the chairman of Osaka Jogakuin, the president of Guinness World Records Japan.

Mrs. Itooka was in good spirits today and responded by reaching out for her favorite Asahi Beverage Lactic Acid Bacteria Drink, which had been sent to her by Asahi Beverage Co., Ltd. When the president of her alma mater, Osaka Jogakuin, displayed a photo from her yearbook on the screen, she reacted with delight upon seeing a picture of herself as a young girl. Mrs. Itooka’s second son, Mr. Kai, also attended today’s Respect for the Aged Day ceremony. She was delighted to reunite with her second son after a long time apart. Current high school and middle school students from Osaka Jogakuin, her alma mater, sent Mrs. Itooka a video message.

Tomiko Itooka was born in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan on 23 May 1908 as the second (eldest daughter) of three siblings. After graduating from elementary school, she went on to girls school (currently Osaka Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School). After graduating from girls school, she got married around the age of 20 and gave birth to her eldest daughter at the age of 21, and she had two daughters and two sons. During the war, she replaced her husband who ran a textile factory in South Korea, and she alone protected a Japanese office and raised her children. After her husband died in 1979, she lived alone in her husband’s hometown of Nara Prefecture for about 10 years.

Mrs. Itooka became the oldest person in Japan on December 12, 2023, following the passing of 116-year-old Fusa Tatsumi. She became the World’s Oldest Person on August 19 following the passing of 117-year-old María Branyas Morera of Spain.

We wish her continued good health and extend our gratitude to Les Ashiya Nursing Home for inviting us to this wonderful ceremony.

We deeply appreciate and thank our photographer, Mr. Yūki Haginaga(萩永 悠貴), for the beautiful photos: