World's oldest living woman celebrates her 117th birthday

A woman in Japan has just celebrated her 117th birthday, beating her own Guinness Book World Record for being the oldest living person in the world.

Kane Tanaka, whose birthday was on January 2, marked the milestone with a party on Sunday along with staff and friends at the nursing home where she resides.

The party was complete with a huge cake for the mother-of-five, as well as a glass of bubbly which Tanaka used to toast the special day.

The party was broadcast on Japanese television, with footage of Tanaka taking a bite of her large cake remarking that it was "tasty", adding: "I want some more".

Tanaka was born in 1903, and was the seventh of eight children. She married Hideo Tanaka in 1922 and had five children — four biological and one adopted.

Japan has an increasingly ageing population as the rate of births declines as well as their incomparable longevity.

The number of babies born in Japan fell an estimated 5.9 per cent last year to less than 900,000 for the first time since 1899 when the government began compiling data.

Tanaka was confirmed the oldest living person last year aged 166 and 66 days-old as of March 9.

The previous oldest living person was also a Japanese woman, Chiyo Miyako, who died in July aged 117. Prior to Miyako, the oldest person was also Japanese.

However, Tanaka has a while to go until she becomes the oldest person ever, with the title belonging to a French Woman, Jeanne Louise Calment who lived to 122 years.