Oldest person – who enjoyed ‘Othello, chocolate and fizzy drinks’ – dies at 119

Kane Tanaka, then 116, reacts after receiving a Guinness World Records certificate (Takuto Kaneko/Kyodo News/AP)

A Japanese woman recognised as the world’s oldest person, Kane Tanaka, has died aged 119, just months short of her goal of reaching 120.

Born on January 2 1903, Ms Tanaka loved playing the board game Othello and had a penchant for chocolate and fizzy drinks.