BIOGRAPHY

Harue Baba (馬場ハルエ) was born on 20 March 1914 in Nishimera Village, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, as the second of four siblings and the eldest daughter. She married in her 20s, and had two children.

When she was around the age of 60, her husband passed away, and Baba lived alone until she was 99. After breakfast each day, she spent her time working hard in the fields until sunset. On rainy days, she enjoyed knitting and made items such as sweaters, hats, and kotatsu covers by hand.
Baba never ate meat other than chicken and maintained a diet centered on home-grown vegetables, particularly pumpkins and taro. Thanks to this lifestyle, she has avoided major illnesses and chronic conditions throughout her life.

At the age of 99 years and 10 months, she moved into a nursing home. Later, her sister, who was four years younger (and lived to 103), also entered the same nursing home. The two sisters shared their lives together there for about three years.

Her family describes her as a strong-willed and hard-working woman. At the age of 110, Baba could still eat three meals a day on her own and was able to stand up by herself when using the toilet. In July 2024, for Tanabata Festival, she hand-wrote a tanzaku (a wish on a strip of paper) expressing her hope: “I want to live to be 120 years old.”

She currently lives in Saito City, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan.

RECOGNITION

In September 2024, she was reported to be the second-oldest living person in Miyazaki Prefecture. On 7 November, following the passing of Yuriko Tsurumaru, she became the oldest living resident of Miyazaki Prefecture.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Ryohei Asano and Yumi Yamamoto, and validated by LongeviQuest on 8 November 2024.

ATTRIBUTION

(The biography of Mrs. Harue Baba was compiled entirely through interviews with her family.)

GALLERY