Japan’s oldest living person has died aged 115 after revealing the remarkably simple secrets she credited for her long life.
Shigeko Kagawa said “walking and using your brain” helped keep her going, while her family said she ate three proper meals a day and stuck to a regular routine.
The former doctor, from Yamatokoriyama in Nara Prefecture, died last Thursday (27 August) aged 115 years and 91 days.
READ MORE: Oldest woman in world dies aged 122 after life of ‘good humour’ and ‘never arguing’
Shigeko became Japan’s oldest living person following the death of a 114-year-old woman from Nakatsu, Ōita Prefecture, on 29 July 2025.
Born on 28 May 1911, she graduated from Osaka Women’s Medical College, now Kansai Medical University, in 1934.
She went on to open her own practice in Yamatokoriyama and worked as an obstetrician and gynaecologist into her eighties.
She also devoted herself to treating cholera, as reported by Need To Know.
Shigeko married in 1947 and had a daughter the following year, with her family later growing to include grandchildren and a granddaughter-in-law.
And she continued making history long after retiring from medicine.
In April 2021, aged 109 years and 10 months, Shigeko became the oldest Olympic torchbearer ever when she took part in the relay for the Tokyo Games.
“I didn’t expect everyone to cheer me on. I’m very happy,” she said at the time.
A report last year offered a glimpse into Shigeko’s extraordinary health and daily routine.
Despite her advanced age, she reportedly had no chronic illnesses and took almost no medication.
Her hearing was somewhat impaired, but she could still hold conversations clearly, while her eyesight remained good enough to enjoy watching television and reading newspapers.
Asked for the secret to her longevity, Shigeko replied: “Walking and using your brain.”
During her years as a doctor, she would walk several miles to visit patients at home after receiving calls at her clinic.
She said: “I used to put on my wooden geta sandals and walk as far as the Yatayama area, so my legs are strong.
“I think walking so much from an early age is the source of my vitality today.”
Even in later life, Shigeko kept her mind active with calligraphy and spot-the-difference puzzles at her day-care centre.
Her family also credited her simple and consistent daily routine.
They explained at the time: “There aren’t any major changes from day to day.
“Even though she doesn’t eat much, she has three proper meals a day, goes to bed and gets up at set times, and simply goes about her daily life as usual.”
Following Shigeko’s death, Japan’s oldest living person is now 114-year-old Fuyo Kishimoto, who lives in Kyoto.
