World’s oldest person, a Japanese woman, dies at 119

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese woman recognized as the world’s oldest person, Kane Tanaka, has died at age of 119, just months short of her goal of reaching 120. Born on Jan. 2, 1903, Tanaka loved playing the board game Othello and had a penchant for chocolate and fizzy drinks. She was certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest living person in 2019 when she was 116. Tanaka died of old age on April 19 at a hospital in Fukuoka, her hometown in southern Japan where she spent all her life, city officials said Tuesday.