Overview

• Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare confirmed Kagawa’s status on August 4 after Miyoko Hiroyasu’s death earlier this month
• Kagawa trained as a physician before World War II, served in an Osaka hospital during the war and ran her family’s obstetrics and gynecology clinic until retiring at 86
• At age 109 she carried the Olympic torch during the Tokyo 2021 relay, becoming one of the oldest torchbearers in Olympic history
• She credits her longevity to freedom, daily play and an independent lifestyle rather than strict diets or routines
• Japan now counts over 95,000 centenarians and has the world’s highest proportion of seniors with 29 percent aged 65 or older