BIOGRAPHY

Tsuya Watanabe was born in what is now Atsuma Town, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, on 4 June 1898. At the time of her birth, the area was known as Atsuma Village. In her earlier years, she worked at various establishments such as general stores and inns in Sapporo.

In her later life, she spent approximately 30 years residing at Hōkōen, a nursing home located in Atsuma. Watanabe enjoyed flower arrangement and tea ceremony, and was known as a sociable and outgoing person.

She passed away on 4 January 2009, at the age of 110 years, 214 days.

RECOGNITION

In September 2008, she was officially recognized as the oldest living woman in Hokkaido. At that time, she was the second-oldest person in the prefecture overall, following Kiyoshi Igarashi.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Ryohei Asano, and validated by LongeviQuest on 8 July 2025.

ATTRIBUTION

* “道内の最高齢女性” – Hokkaido Shimbun, 5 January 2009

GALLERY