Mineko Hayashi (Japanese: 林峰子) was born in present-day Higashiōsaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, on 23 September 1913. She never married nor had children, which she believes is a factor in her longevity. Until the age of 95, she taught many students in flower arrangement and tea ceremony and held high positions in each school.

At the age of 102, she moved into a nursing home. Until the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, many students visited her at the nursing home to report on their progress and chat. In September 2023, the mayor of Higashiōsaka City visited the nursing home to celebrate her status as the oldest living person in the city. She currently resides in a nursing home in Higashiōsaka, where she spends her days in a wheelchair and engages in recreational activities with other residents. Staff at the nursing home describe her as a “resolute woman with a strong sense of independence.”