BIOGRAPHY

Masako Soga was born in Kannabe (now part of the city of Fukuyama), Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, on 23 February 1913, as the seventh of eight children. She was born small and was raised by her older brother and oldest sister, who fed her with amazake instead of breast milk. After getting married, she moved to Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture. Her husband, a film engineer, passed away in the early 1980s.

Soga was able to sew until she was 95. At the age of 110, she still had 20 of her own teeth, and still enjoyed eating her candy rice crackers. Among her favorite foods are fruits, fried chicken and pork cutlets. In April 2023, she was still able to walk, although she broke her femur at the age of 102. When asked about the secret of her longevity, she replied: “Chew food well.”

From a young age, Soga practiced morning exercises daily and maintained a strong appetite and sense of style even in recent years. On October 3, 2024, she suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized.

Soga passed away on November 16, 2024, in Ibara, Okayama, due to heart failure at the age of 111 years and 267 days.

RECOGNITION

On 19 May 2023, following the death of 110-year-old Hanayo Hashimoto, she became the oldest living person on Okayama Prefecture, at the age of 110.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Yu Li and Takehiro Shibuya, and validated by LongeviQuest on 28 June 2023.

ATTRIBUTION

* “県内最高齢・橋本はなよさんが老衰のため１１０歳で逝去　大正元年生まれ【岡山】” – Yahoo Japan, 22 May 2023

* “110歳、長寿の秘訣は「よくかみ、野菜を食べる」　岡山県内最高齢・井原の曽我さん”  – 中国新聞デジタル, 8 June 2023

* “岡山県内最高齢の曽我さん死去　111歳 ” – 中国新聞デジタル, 18 November 2024

GALLERY