BIOGRAPHY

Kazuko Suda was born in Japan on 20 February 1911.

For 17 years, between the ages of 80 and 97, she served at the Silver Human Resources Center, which provides work opportunities to retired seniors, and was the oldest member when she retired from the center. She used to take on requests such as weeding homes and community facilities, and caring for elderly people living alone. Her attention to detail and careful work were highly appreciated by many customers. For ten years, she was appointed to weed the grounds of the Shounji temple in Hokuto City. After her 97th birthday, Suda continued to participate in volunteer activities in the community, and also worked diligently to grow more than 10 kinds of vegetables, including potatoes, onions, and tomatoes, in a field of about 1,000 square meters near her home. She wrote tanka poetry as a hobby since her 30s, and some was even published in newspapers.

Kazuko Suda passed away in Hokuto, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, on 10 January 2023, at the age of 111.

RECOGNITION

In June 2008, she was featured in a column of the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.

In September 2022, she was reported as the oldest living person in Yamanashi Prefecture.

At the time of death, she was the second-oldest known person ever to die in Yamanashi Prefecture, after Yoshi Baba.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Ryohei Asano, Yu Li and Yumi Yamamoto, and validated by LongeviQuest on 8 June 2023.

ATTRIBUTION

* 「ほのぼの＠タウン」6月22日＝山梨 – Yomiuri Shimbun, 22 June 2008

* “山梨県 １００歳以上の高齢者 過去最多の８６７人” – 山梨　NEWS WEB, 16 September 2022

* “100歳以上　最多867人　敬老の日　最高齢は111歳女性＝山梨” – Yomiuri Shimbun, 19 September 2022

* “県内最高齢 歳 111 おめでとうございます” – Hokuto, November 2022

* “県内最高齢111歳死去/山梨県” – Asahi Shimbun, 12 January 2023

GALLERY