Meet Tomiko Itooka: The world's oldest person at 116 who loves bananas and scaling mountains

Tomiko Itooka, a Japanese woman, has become the world’s oldest living person at age 116, following the death of 117-year-old Maria Branyas, according to the Guinness World Records.

Her age and birthdate - 23 May 1908 - were confirmed by the Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people thought to be 110 or older, and put her at the top of its World Supercentenarian Rankings List.

Itooka, a mother of four, currently lives in a nursing home in the city of Ashiya. When told about her becoming the oldest person, she replied, “Thank you,” a phrase she also relays often to the caretakers at her home - proving that you're never too old to be polite.

Born in Osaka, Itooka was a volleyball player in high school. She married at 20, and had two daughters and two sons, according to Guinness. During World War II, she managed the office of her husband’s textile factory.

She has enjoyed an incredibly active life, even after her husband's death in 1979. Living alone in Nara Prefecture for a decade, she frequently indulged in mountain climbing, including scaling Mount Nijo in the Kongō Range.

In her 70s, she tackled Japan’s 3,067-metre Mount Ontake twice, famously surprising her guide by doing so in trainers rather than hiking boots. In her 80s, she participated in the Osaka 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, visiting 33 temples, and at 100, she ascended the stone steps of Japan’s Ashiya Shrine unaided by a cane.

Amidst all her adventures, Itooka still enjoys the simple pleasure of eating bananas and starts her day with her favourite yogurt-flavoured drink, Calpis. She celebrated her birthday three months ago, receiving flowers, a cake and a card from the mayor.

The oldest living European is Ethel Caterham,a supercentenarian from the United