Recognition
Following the death of 114-year-old Asa Takii on 31 July 1998, Kawate became the oldest living person in Hiroshima Prefecture.
Following the death of 112-year-old Matsuno Oikawa on 3 January 2002, Kawate became the oldest living woman in Japan. Following the death of 114-year-old Yukichi Chuganji on 28 September 2003, she became the oldest living person in Japan. However, she was reported as such following the death of Kamato Hongo (who claimed to be older than both Oikawa and Chuganji) on 31 October 2003, but support for her case was later withdrawn.
On 18 August 2003, Kawate surpassed Asa Takii‘s age, thus becoming the oldest person who ever lived in Hiroshima Prefecture. At the time of her death, Kawate was the fifth-oldest person who ever lived in Japan, after Tane Ikai, Hide Ohira, Tase Matsunaga, and Yukichi Chuganji.
Kawate became the world’s oldest living woman on 29 December 2002 with the death of 113-year-old Mae Harrington.
Kawate became the world’s oldest living person, upon the death of 114-year-old Yukichi Chuganji on 28 September 2003. However, she was reported as such following the death of Kamato Hongo (who claimed to be older than Chuganji) on 31 October 2003, but support for her case was later withdrawn. She held that title until her own death on 13 November 2003, a little more than a month later. Her reign lasted only 46 days.
Her death left Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan of Puerto Rico as the oldest living documented person in the world. However, this was not recognized by Guinness World Records until 2004 (Charlotte Benkner of the U.S. had been given the title in the interim).