Fumie Suzuki

BIOGRAPHY

Suzuki was born into a farming family in Ōtaki, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on 20 June 1912. After graduating from a girls’ high school, she worked as an assistant nurse in Tokyo during her teenage years. Around the age of 20, she pursued studies in etiquette at a mansion in Tokyo, where the man residing there fell in love with her, leading to their eventual marriage.

Following their marriage, the couple resided in Kanda, Tokyo. However, on March 10, 1945, the day before the Tokyo air raids, they evacuated to her hometown in Chiba Prefecture with their four young children, successfully avoiding the ravages of war. They lived in Chiba for several years post-World War II, during which her youngest child was born in 1947. In 1949, they returned to Shibuya, Tokyo, and her husband resumed his work in joinery sales. After raising her own children, she dedicated herself to looking after her grandchildren. Her children lived in Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, and Kanagawa, and she took pleasure in looking after a total of approximately 20 grandchildren, regularly traveling between each of her children’s homes.

Around the age of 80, she relocated to Atsugi City in Kanagawa Prefecture, residing near her eldest son’s home and opting for independent living. Despite her age, she maintained numerous hobbies and developed a fondness for creating picture letters, influenced by her eldest daughter’s friends. Apart from crafting letters, she engaged in doll-making and various handicrafts until she was around 107 years old. Throughout her later years, she frequently traveled with her children, enjoying family trips to destinations like Hakone and Atami until her late 90s. Around the age of 107, she suffered a fall at home resulting in a broken hip. Following a two-month hospitalization, she moved into a nursing home in Aikawa Town. Described by her family as a straightforward individual, she consistently instilled the value of honesty, teaching her children that “lying is not good” and emphasizing the importance of leading a life with integrity.

RECOGNITION

In September 2023, she was reported as the fifth-oldest living person in Kanagawa Prefecture.

Her age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Yumi Yamamoto, Yu Li and Jack Steer, and validated by LongeviQuest on 4 December 2023.