Kikue Shimada was born in Japan on 15 February 1909. At some point, she married a lawyer. During World War II, she lived in Manchuria.

Even after she turned 80, she used to ride on a roller coaster from time to time. At the age of 100, she traveled from Fukuoka to Tokyo on a plane to attend her grandson’s wedding. Her 99th birthday was celebrated with a party at a newly opened European-style wedding hall near her home. She read newspapers and magazines until she was about 110 years old. She often talked with her grandchildren about wars and historical events, and she said the happiest time of her life was during the Taisho era (when she was a teenager).

Kikue Shimada passed away in Minami-ku, Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, on 19 March 2020, at the age of 111.