By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-08-31 09:19:47 | Updated at 2026-09-06 06:48:59
5 days ago
Japan’s oldest person, Shigeko Kagawa, a 115-year-old resident of Nara prefecture, western Japan, died late last week, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said on Aug 31.
Fuyo Kishimoto, a 114-year-old woman in nearby Kyoto, is now the country’s oldest person. The ministry said Kagawa died on Aug 27.
Born in 1911, Kagawa graduated from a medical school in 1934 and worked for about three years in the obstetrics and gynaecology and internal medicine departments at a hospital in Osaka, according to a local medical association.
She opened her own clinic in Nara prefecture in 1937. Kagawa continued practising as an obstetrician-gynaecologist and internist into her 80s, contributing to community healthcare. In 2021, she became the oldest torchbearer in the Tokyo Olympic torch relay. KYODO NEWS
