DAWN TO DUSK NEWS: oldest woman

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<strong style="color: #2558ad;">Misao Okawa received a visit from town mayor Takehiro Ogura earlier this week.</strong><br />
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TOKYO (AFP) - The world's oldest woman was 
celebrating her 116th birthday on Wednesday in a Japanese nursing home 
with a cake and candles.<br />

Misao Okawa, a descendant of kimono merchants in the city of Osaka, 
western Japan, received a visit from town mayor Takehiro Ogura earlier 
this week ahead of her birthday, a nursing home employee said.<br />

Wearing a pink kimono with a red flower headdress, Okawa was 
presented with a bouquet by the mayor at the facility near her own home.<br />

Asked for a comment on this year's birthday, the centenarian said: "It's quite a long time."<br />

She will be given a cake with candles decorated with numbers, 116, 
later Wednesday to celebrate the day with fellow residents and family 
members, the employee said.<br />

"She is in good shape, and is even still gaining weight," the employee said.<br />

"She eats sushi, her favourite, and whatever she likes -- beef stew, spaghetti, sashimi every day.<br />

"She always says the secret to living a long time is to eat a good meal and relax," he added.<br />

Okawa last year received a certificate from Guinness World Records confirming her status as the oldest living woman.<br />

She was born on March 5, 1898 and married in 1919, having three 
children, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, local media 
said.<br />

Japan, known for the longevity of its people, was home to the oldest 
man ever to have lived -- Jiroemon Kimura, who died in June 2013 at the 
age of 116.<br />

Around a quarter of Japan's population of 128 million is aged 65 or older.<br />

The figure, already one of the highest proportions in the world, is expected to rise to around 40 percent over coming decades.</div>

World's oldest woman turns 116 in Japan

Misao Okawa received a visit from town mayor Takehiro Ogura earlier this week. TOKYO (AFP) - The world's oldest woman ...