7 must-read facts about the World’s oldest living person Kane Tanaka!
- Kane Tanaka is a Japanese supercentenarian who is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living person in the world.
Here are 7 facts about Kane.
1) What is the age of Kane Tanaka?
Kane Tanaka is at the age of 118 years old which makes her one of the oldest living persons since 22nd July 2018. She was born on 2nd January 1903 and celebrated her 118th birthday recently.
Kane is the daughter of Kumayoshi and Kuma Ota. Likewise, she was born prematurely and was raised on breast milk by the nurses.
She was born in Wajiro Village and is of Japanese nationality. She celebrated her birthday in a nursing home in Fukuoka, Tanaka along with other residents.
2) Is Kane the longest confirmed lifespan?
No, Kane Tanaka is not the longest confirmed lifespan as Jeanne Louise Calment lived 122 years and 164 days. Jeanne is the only person who has reached the age of 122. Tanaka became the third validated person who reached the age of 118. Sarah Knauss is another woman who was alive for 119 years and 97 days.
3) Kane Tanaka’s hobbies and favorites
Kane Tanaka likes to play Othello, do calligraphy, and solve arithmetic problems. She is good at Maths. Kane said that eating delicious food and studying is the secret to her longevity. Tanaka has a strong appetite and likes eating chocolate and drinking Coke.
She credited foods like rice, small fish, and soup for her long life.
4) Husband
Kane married her cousin Hideo Tanaka on 6th January 1922. They met each other for the first time during the wedding. Together they had four children, two daughters, and two sons. Both their daughters were born prematurely. They adopted a daughter who was her husband Hideo’s sister’s daughter.
Sadly all their daughter expired at a young age. They did not have a stable economic condition and sold shiruko and udon noodles in a store.
Later her husband was drafted into the military from 1937 to 1939. During the end of World War II, their son was captured and held as a prisoner in Siberia. In 1947, they released him and returned him home. Her husband died in the year 1993 at the age of 90.
Tanaka has five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
5) Converted her religion
Kane converted to Christianity after World War II under the influence of pastors stationed by the US military. She even traveled to the United States in the 1970s to meet her relatives.
6) Kane Tanaka battles diseases
Kane Tanaka has suffered from various diseases but has fought them bravely. She and her adopted daughter got infected with paratyphoid fever.
At the age of 45, she underwent pancreatic cancer surgery gallstone removal surgery at the age of 76, and cataract surgery at the age of 90.
After that, she was also diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Similarly, she underwent surgery when she was 103 years old.
7) Book
Kane’s eldest son and his wife wrote a book about her life and longevity. The book was titled In Good and Bad Times, 107 Years Old.
