Japan’s oldest person passed away Tuesday at the age of 116, officials said, offering their condolences for Fusa Tatsumi who lived through two world wars and multiple pandemics. Born in 1907, Tatsumi raised three children with her husband, a farmer, in Osaka, local broadcaster MBS reported. “Tatsumi died aged 116 at a care facility in Osaka on Tuesday,” an official in Osaka’s Kashiwara city told AFP.

Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura offered condolences on the social media site X, recalling a party he attended to celebrate Tatsumi’s longevity in September. “I still remember how healthy Fusa Tatsumi was,” Yoshimura said. “I sincerely pray for her soul.” In footage aired by MBS and other local media outlets she was seen in a wheelchair, mostly sleeping, at her 116th birthday celebration in April.

Tatsumi was recognized as Japan’s oldest person after Kane Tanaka passed away last year at 119. Guinness World Records had officially acknowledged Tanaka’s status as the world’s oldest person in April 2022. Today that honor belongs to US-born Maria Branyas, who will turn 117 on March 4 next year. Japan has the world’s second-oldest population after Monaco, boasting more than 47,000 centenarians. — AFP