Japanese Woman Poised to Be World's Oldest Person at 116

A 116-year-old Japanese woman, Tomiko Itooka, is expected to be recognized as the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records. This follows the death of Maria Branyas Morera, the previous record holder. Itooka, a former mountaineer, led an active life, even climbing Mount Ontake in her 70s.

A Japanese woman aged 116 is set to be recognized as the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records, a research group announced on Wednesday. This comes after the recent death of 117-year-old Spanish woman, Maria Branyas Morera.

Tomiko Itooka, born on May 23, 1908, resides in the western Japanese city of Ashiya, according to the U.S.-based Gerontology Research Group. Following Morera's passing in a Spanish nursing home on Monday, Itooka is next in line for the title.

In her younger days, Itooka was an avid mountaineer. She scaled Japan's 3,067-meter Mount Ontake in her 70s, astonishing her guide by doing so in sneakers rather than hiking boots. At 100, she walked up the long stone steps of Japan's Ashiya Shrine unaided by a cane.