Guinness Lists Japanese Woman as World's Oldest

By: Taarek Refaat

TOKYO, Mar. 9 (SEE)- A Japanese woman has been listed on the Guinness World Records as the world's oldest, with 116 years of age.

"The Japanese woman, Kane Tanaka , was born on January 2, 1903, the year the Wright brothers flew the world's first powered airplane," Kyodo news agency reported.

Kane Tanaka now resides in a nursing home in Fukuoka, southwest portion of Japan. She overcame several operations, including one for cataracts and another for cancer.

"Today is the happiest day of my life," she said during the honoring ceremony.

Guinness Records was attempting to identify the oldest surviving person after the Japanese titleholder Chiyo Miyako passed away last July at the age of 117 years.

The oldest ever to hold the title was French Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122 years and 164 days.

Japan is one of the countries that top the list of longest human lifespan in the world.