Society

Hyogo Woman, 116, Becomes Oldest Living Person

TOKYO, Aug 21 (News On Japan) - With the passing of a 117-year-old woman from Spain, a 116-year-old woman from Hyogo Prefecture has become the world's oldest living person.

Maria Branyas Morera, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the oldest person in the world, passed away on the 19th at the age of 117 in Catalonia, Spain. Her family revealed the news on social media on the 20th.

According to Spanish media, Branyas was born in San Francisco, USA, in 1907, four years after the Wright brothers' first powered flight. She moved to Spain during her childhood and experienced two world wars and the Spanish Civil War. She had been living in a nursing home for about 20 years.

Branyas maintained communication with around 18,000 followers on the former Twitter platform, now known as X, with the help of her daughter. She passed away peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by family.

The Gerontology Research Group, an American organization that studies people over 110 years old, known as "supercentenarians," announced that with Branyas's passing, Tomiko Itooka, a 116-year-old woman from Ashiya City in Hyogo Prefecture, is now the world's oldest living person.

Itooka has been Japan's oldest living person since the death of Fusa Tatsumi on December 12th, 2023.

Source: ANN

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.