ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday February 24, 2008
Vol. 42 - No 39
International  

Japan's oldest person dies at age 113

Tsuneyo Toyonaga, Japan's oldest person dies of old age (AP)

TOKYO, Saturday, AP - Japan's oldest person has died at a hospital in southwestern Japan, her nursing home said today. She was 113. Tsuneyo Toyonaga, who became the country's oldest person last August, died yesterday, days after she was transferred to a nearby hospital because she lost her appetite, said Masuko Yamamoto, deputy director of the Yume-no-Sato nursing home in the southern city of Nangoku.

Born on May 21, 1894, Toyonaga had been in the nursing home the last 12 years. She was a darling among caretakers and fellow residents, Yamamoto said. ''She was dozing off most of the day recently but when she was awake she used to enjoy singing children's songs. Once she started singing she wouldn't stop until we all got tired and had to stop her,'' she said.

Toyonaga is survived by five children and 10 grandchildren, Kyodo News agency said. Kaku Yamanaka, born on Dec. 11, 1894, is now Japan's oldest person, according to the Health and Welfare Ministry. She lives in a nursing home in Aichi, central Japan.

 
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