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114-Year-Old Japanese Great-Grandma Named World's Oldest Woman

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Feb 27, 2013 10:48 AM EST

A 114-year-old Japanese woman was officially recognized on Wednesday as the world's oldest female, making Japan home to the oldest woman and man on the planet.

Misao Okawa, who is now almost halfway through her 12 decade, told reporters that she was "very happy" about receiving the honor and a certificate from the Guinness World Records.

"I'm happy. I'm feeling good anyway," she told reporters as she sat in a wheelchair surrounded by relatives, according to AFP.

Okawa, who is a descendant of kimono merchants in the city Osaka, was born on March 5, 1989 and married in 1919. She had three children, including a son and a daughter who are still alive and in their 90s.

Okawa has four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. She has reportedly never had any major health problems, but she admits that she broke her leg over a decade ago when she was 102 years old.

The Wednesday ceremony took place after a 115-year-old Japanese woman, who was officially recognized as the world's oldest female in December, passed away near Tokyo in January.

According to the Guinness World Records, the world's oldest living person is a 11-year-old Japanese man who lives in Kyoto. 

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