Kane Tanaka, the oldest person in the world, celebrated her 119th birthday Sunday in Japan.
Tanaka was born on Jan. 2, 1903, in Fukuoka Prefecture, where she currently lives in a nursing home, according to The Japan Times.
Guinness World Records honored Tanaka as the oldest living person in March 2019 when she was 116 years old. She later surpassed the Japanese record when she turned 117 years and 261 days old, The Japan Times reported. (RELATED: Woman Who Could Be The Oldest Person Ever Recorded Dies at 124)
Tanaka’s great-granddaughter, Junko Tanaka, posted on Twitter to commemorate her great-grandmother’s 119th birthday, CNN reported.
“I was able to safely reach the age of 119! It’s been 22 years since Sarah Knauss reached the age of 119,” Junko tweeted in reference to Tanaka. Knauss passed away in 1999 at the age of 119.
Junko posted a picture of the updated Wikipedia entry listing Tanaka as the oldest living person. Junko also included a photo of a pair of Coca-Cola bottles made in honor of the occasion. Tanaka enjoys carbonated drinks, The Japan Times mentioned.
【誕生日プレゼント1】
誕生日祝いに頂いたプレゼントを紹介します🎁
カ子さんの誕生日を覚えていて、
プレゼントを頂けることにとても感謝です🙇♀️⭐︎コカ・コーラ社様から
誕生日記念ペットボトル今も変わらずに
コーラを飲んでいるそうです🥤Wikipediaが119歳に更新されました🤩 pic.twitter.com/fBrNYbHn3l
— 田中カ子 (@tanakakane0102) January 2, 2022
Tanaka is the seventh of nine siblings and got married at 19. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, Tanaka ran a noodle shop while her husband and oldest son fought in the conflict that began in 1937, The Japan Times stated.
Tanaka was prepared to carry the Olympic flame in Japan before the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, CNN reported. She chose not to due to concerns over COVID-19, according to The Japan Times.