Kimura was born in Donari-cho, Awa City, Tokushima Prefecture, on 8 August 1901. During her teenage years, she was sent to live with relatives in Osaka due to World War I, but returned to Tokushima after the war’s end.
Kimura was married and had 10 children – six sons, four daughters. She provided for her family by working in agriculture and sericulture.
At the age of 108, Kimura enjoyed shopping with her family and going on trips to hot springs. When she was 111, she claimed that her secret to longevity was to drink medicinal liquor. Her greatest pleasure was eating Manju with her family who came to visit her at her nursing home.
Kimura died in Tokushima on 16 June 2014 at the age of 112 years, 312 days. She was the prefecture’s second-oldest resident after 113-year-old Koito Furukawa, and was also the second-oldest person ever in the prefecture’s history, after Furukawa.
Kimura’s age was verified by Anson Davis and Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), and was validated by the GRG on 29 September 2012.