Chiyo Miyako, world's oldest person, dies at 117

July 27 (UPI) -- Chiyo Miyako, the world's oldest living person, died in Japan this week at the age of 117, just days after Guinness World Records certified her title.

Chiyo was born in the Kansai region of Honshu island on May 2, 1901. She assumed the title of the world's oldest living person after the death in April of Nabi Tajima, who was also 117.

Chiyo died Sunday in Yokohama.

Guinness World Records, the renowned international certifying body for records, approved the evidence of Chiyo's longevity in her final days.

Her achievement was confirmed after an extensive review process by Robert Young, Guinness World Records' senior consultant for gerontology and co-director for the Gerontology Research Group.

Chiyo was an accomplished calligrapher, Guinness World Records noted.

The title of the world's oldest living man is held by Japan's Masazo Nonaka, 113. The world's oldest woman now must be determined. Jeanne Louise Calment, a 122-year-old French woman who lived from 1875 to 1997, holds the record for the longest-living human being on record.