March 20, 2002 TOKYO (AP) - Slugging back shots of stiff Japanese sake apparently never hurt 114-year-old Kamato Hongo any - she is now the world's oldest living person, according to Guinness World Records.
Hongo inherited the title Monday after the death of the previous record holder, Maud Farris-Luse, of Coldwater, Michigan, the record-keeping company said on its Web site.
Farris-Luse was 115 years, 56 days old.
Hongo, born Sept. 16, 1887, was raised on a farm and counts drinking Japanese rice wine among her favorite things - along with black salt, pork, sashimi, and green tea, according to Guinness. She also likes traditional Japanese dancing.
"The key is not storing up stress," said her 45-year-old grandson Tsuyoshi Kurauchi. "If you do that, you can eat or drink anything."
Hongo mothered seven children, more than 20 grandchildren, and even outlived her eldest daughter, who died two years ago while in her 90s, according to Kurauchi, who described Hongo as a "warm, caring grandmother."
She lives in a nursing home in Kagoshima, a city about 960 kilometers (615 miles) southwest of Tokyo on the island of Kyushu, which has reputation for record-breaking longevity among its residents.
Hongo was born in the nearby town of Isen, home to the late Shigechiyo Izumi, who also held the Guinness record as the world's oldest person. He died in 1986 at the age of 120.
Recently, another Kyushu resident was hailed as the world's oldest man.
Retired silkworm farmer Yukichi Chuganji graduated into the spot Jan. 4 with the death of his predecessor, Antonio Todde of Italy. Chuganji turns 113 on Saturday.
There are an estimated 15,000 Japanese over the age of 100, and women make up about 80 percent of the total.
Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
