World's oldest person dies at 116
Friday, 31 October 2003 16:28The oldest person in the world, Kamato Hongo, died on Friday aged 116 in a hospital in southern Japan.
She had been in hospital in the city of Kagoshima, 1,000km southwest of Tokyo, for several weeks.
Born in 1887, when Japan was gradually opening up to the world after more than two centuries of isolation, Ms Hongo was known for her love of 'dancing' by waving her hands and for sleeping two days and then staying awake for the next two.
She celebrated her 116th birthday last month.
Her death comes a month after the world's oldest man, Yukichi Chuganji, passed away at his home on the same Japanese island aged 114.
Japan is one of the world's most rapidly ageing societies, with one in five citizens now aged 65 or over, the highest percentage among industrialised nations. Scientists have attributed Japanese longevity to factors including diet and exercise.
Ms Hongo's title as the oldest person in the world was sometimes disputed, but she was recognised as the record-holder by the Guinness Book of Records.
