Japanese Woman, 116, to be Named World's Oldest Person

FILE PHOTO: A tourist takes a picture of Mount Fuji appearing over a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko town, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A tourist takes a picture of Mount Fuji appearing over a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko town, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
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Japanese Woman, 116, to be Named World's Oldest Person

FILE PHOTO: A tourist takes a picture of Mount Fuji appearing over a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko town, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A tourist takes a picture of Mount Fuji appearing over a convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko town, Yamanashi prefecture, Japan, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

A 116-year-old Japanese woman who used to be a mountaineer is set to be named the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records, a research group said on Wednesday, following the death of a 117-year-old Spanish woman earlier this week.
Tomiko Itooka, who was born on May 23, 1908, lives in the western Japanese city of Ashiya, the US-based Gerontology Research Group said, according to Reuters.
She is next in line for the title of world's oldest person after Maria Branyas Morera died in a Spanish nursing home on Monday, according to the group.
Itooka, a mother-of-three, was born in the year when a long-distance radio message was sent from the Eiffel Tower for the first time, and when the Wright Brothers made their first public flights in Europe and America.
In her 70s, Itooka often went climbing and twice scaled Japan's 3,067-meter (10,062-ft) Mount Ontake - surprising her guide by climbing the mountain in sneakers instead of hiking boots, the research group said.
At the age of 100, she walked up the lengthy stone steps of Japan's Ashiya Shrine without using a cane, the group added.



Tropical Depression Dumps Heavy Rain in Southern South Korea and Seoul Area 

People walk across a crosswalk in downtown Seoul on a rainy morning, South Korea 21 August 2024, following the arrival of the weakened Typhoon Jongdari. (EPA/Yonhap)
People walk across a crosswalk in downtown Seoul on a rainy morning, South Korea 21 August 2024, following the arrival of the weakened Typhoon Jongdari. (EPA/Yonhap)
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Tropical Depression Dumps Heavy Rain in Southern South Korea and Seoul Area 

People walk across a crosswalk in downtown Seoul on a rainy morning, South Korea 21 August 2024, following the arrival of the weakened Typhoon Jongdari. (EPA/Yonhap)
People walk across a crosswalk in downtown Seoul on a rainy morning, South Korea 21 August 2024, following the arrival of the weakened Typhoon Jongdari. (EPA/Yonhap)

A tropical depression dumped heavy rain in southern South Korea and the populous Seoul region Wednesday after weakening from a tropical storm.

Some southern parts of the mainland and the island of Jeju recorded 10 to 17 centimeters (3.9 to 6.6 inches) of rain. Some areas in the capital region saw 10 to 12 centimeters (3.9 to 4.7 inches) of rain Wednesday.

The depression that was once Tropical Storm Jongdari made landfall Wednesday morning, and South Korea’s weather agency said the system was continuing to weaken.

Weather conditions in the afternoon weren’t strong enough to deter people from walking on the streets.

No injuries have been reported. About 20 vehicles were damaged by floods in the southern town of Ulju, the nearby city of Ulsan and the central city of Seosan, according to South Korea’s Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Emergency workers also responded to several flooded buildings and homes, the ministry said.

Government officials had urged public vigilance and monitoring of areas like underground passageways and basement dwellings that are at high risk of flooding.