World's oldest person Chiyo Miyako has died in Japan aged 117

The world’s oldest person has died at the age of 117.

Japanese Chiyo Miyako, who lived in a state south of Tokyo, died on Sunday July 22.

She was born in Wakayama in the Kansai region of Japan on May 2 1901, and became the world’s oldest person in April after Nabi Tajima, from the Kikai island in southern Japan, died aged 117.

Described by her family as a “goddess” who was kind and patient and brought happiness to those around her, Chiyo was 117 years and 81 days old when she died.

She had a son, Junichi, and a daughter, Toshiko. Her husband, Shoji, had worked for Japanese National Railways, which gave Chiyo opportunities to travel.

She had a lifelong love of calligraphy and credited her diet of eels and red wine for her longevity. She also loved sushi and never smoked.

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115-year-old Kane Tanaka, of Fukuoka, southern Japan, is now the world’s oldest person.

The world’s oldest man, Masazo Nonaka, of Hokkaido in northern Japan, celebrated his 113th birthday on Wednesday.

The ‘oldest person ever’ title belongs to Jeanne Louise Calment from France, who died in 1997 aged 122.