A Japanese woman officially certified as the world's oldest person, has died at the age of 119, on April 19, 2022.
Kane Tanaka was born on January 2, 1903, the year Japan emerged as a global power. He married a century ago, and has four children.
Tanaka spent his later years in a Japanese nursing home, where he enjoyed his old age by playing board games and eating chocolate which became his favorite snack.
Quoted from the BBC, Tanaka is the seventh of nine children. He married at the age of 19 and runs various businesses, including a noodle shop.
Her husband, whom she had never met before their wedding day, fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 while her son fought in World War II, and was held captive by the Soviet Union.
Tanaka was supposed to take part in the torch relay at this year's Tokyo Olympics, but the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented him from doing so. In addition to liking sweet foods, Tanaka is known to wake up early and spend time studying math and calligraphy.
At a ceremony recognizing him as the world's oldest person in 2019, he said he was happier than ever.
To note, Japan has the largest elderly population in the world. More than a quarter of the population is 65 years or older. Diet, health care, and the fact that many elderly people in Japan are still working, were identified as reasons behind Japan's long life expectancy.
The oldest person who ever lived was a French woman named Jeanne Louise Calment, who died aged 122 years 164 days in 1997. With Tanaka gone, the oldest person in the world today is Lucile Randon, a 118-year-old French nun.