Shigeko Kagawa

Shigeko Kagawa was born in Nara Prefecture, Japan on May 28, 1911. She was born into a family of doctors and graduated from Osaka Women's Medical College (now Kansai Medical University). Kagawa worked at the Osaka Hospital during World War II. Even in her old age, she kept memories of the fire that engulfed the city after the air raids and death of many people.^[3]

Following the war, she got married in 1947, and the year after she had a daughter. Later, she took control of the family clinic and contributed to the local medical system, working as an obstetrician and gynaecologist. Every night she kept her phone by the bed to answer the morning and night calls of patients where she often rushed to give aid to people in need. She retired at the age of 86, but even after that, former patients sometimes stopped her on the street to thank her for saving lives and positively contributing to the community.^[4]

On April 12, 2021, aged 109, Kagawa carried the Olympic torch at the Tokyo Olympic Games, becoming the world's oldest Olympic torchbearer.^[5][6] Her record was supposed to be broken by Kane Tanaka, but the event was cancelled due to the risk of COVID-19. Kagawa completed her relay section in a wheelchair, which was pushed by her granddaughter.^[7]

Kagawa partly explains her longevity was caused by a lot of walking in her youth. As a student, she walked several kilometres on dirt roads before taking a train to school, and throughout her career she often wore clogs and walked long distances on foot to visit patients.^[8]

After retirement, she was happy to sew, make bags, covers and remodelled clothes for her family, both by sewing machine and by hand. She was also an avid viewer of Omoikkiri TV, a once popular Japanese lifestyle show. She saved the episodes on VHS tapes, and carefully noted down health tips in her notebooks.

Her diet changed over the years. In middle age, she loved sashimi, but later began to preferring tofu, eggs and black beans, as well as soft foods such as potage, pudding and osiruko. Ever since middle age, she has fallen in love with red bean sweets, and they remain one of her favourite delicacies. She always has three meals a day.^[9]

At the age of 108, she was still living alone, supported by her daughter. In February 2025, at the age of 113 years and 9 months, she underwent hip surgery after a fracture.

In 2025, at the age of 114, she continues to live in her home in Yamatokoriyama, Nara Prefecture. Every day she reads a newspaper with a magnifying glass and twice a week she goes to day care, where she plays brain-training games on a tablet. She also enjoys doing calligraphy.^[10][11]

On 29 July 2025, following the death of Miyoko Hiroyasu, she became the oldest living person in Japan.^[12][13]