TOKYO, April 1. /TASS/. The oldest woman on the planet, Misao Okawa, died Wednesday a few weeks after celebrating her 117th birthday, a source from the Osaka nursing center said.
Her birthdate is March 5, 1898 and her birthplace is a small town near Osaka. Misao Okawa was born to a family of kimono makers. The woman gave birth to three children, and two of her children are in their early nineties already.
Okawa was recognized as the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records in 2013.
The woman, who had never complained of health problems, developed deafness when she reached an advanced age. She used to say that her "receipt" of long life expectancy was simple: one should sleep more and feed well. In recent years she had been sleeping for 15 hours per day, ignored any diet and preferred her most favorite dish - noodles with a piece of steam-cooked beef.
Misao Okawa gained the status of the oldest woman on the planet after her compatriot - Jiroemon Kimura, died in 2013 when he was approaching his 117th birthday. Now, a holder of the title of the oldest man is the 112-year-old Japanese citizen, Sakari Momoi.
Reuters said that the world's oldest person now is Gertrude Weaver of the United States, who will turn 117 on July 4.