Kane Tanaka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kane Tanaka
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| 田中カ子 | |
Tanaka at age 20 in 1923
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| Born |
Kane Ota
2 January 1903 Wajiro Village, Empire of Japan
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| Died | 19 April 2022 (aged 119 years, 107 days) Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
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| Occupation | Store owner |
| Known for |
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| Spouse(s) |
Hideo Tanaka
(m. 1922; died 1993) |
| Children | 5 |
Kane Tanaka (田中カ子, Tanaka Kane) (born Ota; January 2, 1903 – April 19, 2022) was an amazing Japanese woman who lived to be 119 years old! She was known as a supercentenarian, which means someone who lives past 110 years. For almost four years, from July 2018 until her death in April 2022, she was the oldest living person in the entire world. She is also the second oldest verified person ever, right after Jeanne Calment.
Kane Tanaka's Life Story
Kane Ota was born on January 2, 1903, in a village called Wajiro. This village is now part of Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, a city on the southern island of Kyushu, Japan. She was the seventh of nine children in her family. Her family believed she was actually born a few days earlier, but her parents waited to report her birth. This was because she was born early, and they weren't sure if she would survive.
Kane grew up during the last years of the Meiji period in Japan. This was a time of big changes for the country. In 1922, Kane married her cousin, Hideo Tanaka. They had two sons and two daughters together. They also adopted their niece, who was Hideo's sister's daughter. Sadly, two of Kane's daughters died young. Her adopted daughter also passed away at age 23.
Kane and Hideo worked hard running a store. They sold traditional Japanese foods like shiruko (a sweet bean soup) and udon noodles. Later, Hideo was called to serve in the military from 1937 to 1939. One of their sons was captured during World War II. He was held as a POW in Siberia before returning home in 1947.
After the war, Kane and Hideo continued their store business. Kane became a Christian after meeting pastors from the United States military. She retired from working at the store when she was 63. In the 1970s, she traveled to the United States to visit her relatives. Her husband, Hideo, passed away in 1993. They had been married for 71 years.
From September 2018, Kane lived in a nursing home in Fukuoka. Even on her 118th birthday, she was said to be in good health. She was supposed to carry the Olympic torch for the 2020 Summer Olympics. However, she decided not to because of worries about COVID-19 cases in Japan. Kane enjoyed playing the board game Othello and taking short walks. Her hobbies also included calligraphy and solving math problems. She had five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Kane Tanaka passed away in a hospital in Fukuoka on April 19, 2022. Her death was announced a few days later.
Health and Long Life
Kane Tanaka faced several health challenges during her long life. When she was 35, she got paratyphoid fever. At age 45, she had surgery for pancreatic cancer. Later, at 103 years old, she had surgery for colorectal cancer. Her amazing life and long age were written about in a book. Her second son and his wife published it when Kane was 107. The book was called In Good and Bad Times, 107 Years Old.
In 2017, when she was 114, Kane was interviewed by a TV station. On March 9, 2019, Guinness World Records officially named her the "World's Oldest Living Person." They also gave her the title of "World's Oldest Living Woman." On September 19, 2020, she became the longest-lived Japanese person ever. She passed the age of Nabi Tajima, who lived to be 117 years and 260 days. On April 10, 2022, Kane became the second oldest verified person in history, living longer than Sarah Knauss.
Kane Tanaka often said she wanted to live to be 120 years old. She believed her faith in God, her family, getting enough sleep, having hope, eating good food, and practicing mathematics helped her live so long. Her incredible lifespan, along with that of Jeanne Calment, has made scientists wonder about the maximum age humans can reach.
See also
In Spanish: Kane Tanaka para niños
