Umeno Sumiyama (left) and Kome Kodama Sisters from Japan who have lived together for more than 107 years and 300 days have become the world’s oldest living twins and entered the Guinness Book of World Records.
Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama were born on Shodo Island in Kagawa Prefecture in 1913. Umeno has four children and Koume three. According to their relatives, both sisters have a humorous attitude toward their old age. Now living in nursing homes in different parts of the country, Umeno and Kume received their certificates by mail – due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
The new record was dedicated to the Day of Respect for the Elderly, a national holiday celebrated annually in Japan.
Himeno Sumiyama and Komae Kodama broke the previous record set in 2000 by Japanese twin sisters Kin and Gin, who were 107 years and 175 days old. Kin died in January 2000, and Gin died a year later at the age of 108. The sisters became celebrities in the last years of their lives in Nagoya.
Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world and the highest number of centenarians. According to Guinness World Records, the oldest living woman on the planet is 118 years old. This title belongs to Kana Tanaka, a Japanese woman from the island of Fukuoka. The oldest living man, born in 1908, is Emilio Flores Marquez of Puerto Rico, who is 112 years old.
The title of oldest person to have ever lived on the planet belongs to Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment (122 years and 164 days). Among men, the record was held by Tetsuo Watanabe of Japan, who lived for 116 years and 54 days.