"Saving Lives Helped Me Live Long"... 114-Year-Old Former Doctor Is Japan's Oldest Woman [Japan Insight]

Although average life expectancy has increased, it can still feel daunting to imagine living as healthily as we do now even after turning 100. Recently, the story of Japan's oldest woman, aged 114, received widespread attention. Born in 1911, she became a topic of conversation after revealing that her secret to longevity was saving lives as a doctor in her youth. This week, we share the story of Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114 years old.

On July 30, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that Kagawa had become the oldest person in the country. This followed the passing of Hiroyasu Miyoko, who was also 114, making Kagawa the sole oldest person in Japan. Due to her advanced age, she does not grant media interviews. Instead, a local government official visits her, has a brief conversation, and then shares the information with the media.

Shigeko Kagawa, Japan's oldest person at 114 years old. Yamato Koriyama City.

원본보기 아이콘

Kagawa was born and raised in Yamato Koriyama, Nara Prefecture, and graduated from medical school even before the outbreak of World War II. Immediately after her graduation, the war began, and during wartime she worked at a hospital in Osaka, caring for the wounded. After the war, she returned to her hometown in Nara Prefecture and spent her life serving the local community as an obstetrician and internist.

While working as an obstetrician, she would make house calls even late at night or on hospital holidays, personally visiting each home. In the past, she would walk mountain paths in traditional wooden clogs to see her patients. She believes that the strong legs her patients helped her build are the reason she remains healthy to this day.

It is hard to grasp what it means to be 114 years old, but before the upcoming Osaka Expo this year, Kagawa worked as on-site medical staff at the 1970 World Expo in Osaka. She continued to serve as a doctor until the age of 86, taking charge of regional healthcare.

Currently, she lives with her family and spends her days at a local day care center. Despite being 114, her eyesight remains good, allowing her to watch the news on TV and read newspapers at home without difficulty. At the care center, she has taken up calligraphy as a hobby and continues to practice regularly. According to her family, Kagawa always wakes up at a set time and eats three meals a day without fail, although she keeps her portions small.

Above all, it seems that her habit of positive thinking provides her with strength. She has set herself small goals, telling her family, "I want to live until the Paris Olympics," and "I was part of the medical staff at the Osaka Expo before, so with the Osaka-Kansai Expo coming up again, I want to live until then." In fact, four years ago, she participated as a torchbearer in the Tokyo Olympics, joining the relay at the age of 109 in a wheelchair.

Mr. Kagawa reading the text. Yamato Koriyama City.

원본보기 아이콘

In a 2023 interview about the secret to her longevity, she said, "There is no secret to longevity. Instead, my greatest asset is my energy," adding, "I go where I want, eat what I like, and do what I love. I live freely and independently." Her active and positive personality seems to have had a beneficial effect. Recently, she has even taken up playing games on a tablet PC as a hobby.

If there is one thing that could be considered her secret, it would be the people she cared for during her years as a doctor. Kagawa remarked, "The people I cared for back then are now the ones helping me live a long life," which drew attention.

Regardless of age, always having things you want to do and see likely stems from an endless curiosity. It appears to be an attitude that comes from affirming life itself.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.