Japan’s oldest living resident, Shigeko Kagawa, has died at the age of 115, leaving behind a remarkable life shaped by medicine, hard work and an active routine. Kagawa died on August 27 in Nara Prefecture at the age of 115 years and 91 days, The Independent reported. She became Japan’s oldest living person after a 114-year-old woman from Nakatsu in Oita Prefecture died on July 29, 2025.
Born in May 1911, Kagawa grew up at a time when modern infrastructure and automobiles were still uncommon.
Which studies supercentenarians, Kagawa once said that “walking and using your brain” helped keep her going, according to the Gerontology Research Group (GRG). She went on to study medicine in the 1930s and graduated as an obstetrician and gynaecologist from Osaka Women’s Medical College. During World War II and in the decades that followed, she treated thousands of patients. She later ran a private clinic in Yamatokoriyama, where she was known for making late-night and holiday house calls to deliver babies and respond to emergencies. Kagawa’s life offered a simple view of ageing: keep moving, stay mentally active and maintain a routine. Her years of service as a doctor, along with her cheerful outlook, made her an enduring figure in Japan and beyond.
