115-year-old woman in central Japan becomes country's oldest person

TOKYO - Okagi Hayashi, a 115-year-old woman in central Japan's Gifu Prefecture, has become the country's oldest person following the recent death of the previous title holder, the government said Monday, reported Xinhua.

Born on Sept 2, 1909, Hayashi became the oldest living person in Japan after Tomiko Itooka, who lived to the age of 116, died of old age on Dec 29 at a nursing home in Ashiya, Hyogo prefecture, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.

Itooka was recognised as the world's oldest person at the time of her death. - BERNAMA-XINHUA