World's oldest living person dies at 117 in Japan

OSAKA, Japan, April 1 (UPI) -- The world's oldest living person died from heart failure Wednesday morning. She was 117.

Misao Okawa was born in Osaka, Japan on March 5, 1898. The BBC reported Guinness World Records recognized her as the world's oldest living person in 2013.

Okawa passed away in an Osaka nursing home, where she had been living since 1997, nursing home employee Satoshi Yoshioka told CNN.

Yoshioka said Okawa enjoyed her cake when the centenarian celebrated her 117th birthday on March 5 and "had eaten a lot."

The nursing home employee said Okawa had stopped eating in the two weeks prior to her death.

"I think eating was her motivation to live, and when she lost it, she passed away."

Born to a kimono maker, Okawa has lived across three centuries and witnessed the ascendancy of four Japanese emperors, six British monarchs and 20 U.S. presidents, reported the BBC.

She said a precondition to her long life was eight hours of sleep at night and enjoying sushi by day. Her favorite fish was mackerel on vinegar-steamed rice.

Three children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren survive Okawa. She married in 1919 and when her husband passed away in 1931, she returned to Osaka after living in Kobe, where he had operated a business.

Okawa and her family held a press conference on March 5, her last birthday.

Video footage shows Okawa in a wheelchair, accepting birthday flowers from a man who presented the bouquet after leaning over and speaking directly into her ear.

Craig Glenday, the editor-in-chief of Guinness World had said Okawa's impressive longevity is an "inspiration and a testament to the Japanese lifestyle."