At just shy of 108 two Japanese sisters have become the world's oldest identical twins.
Guinness World Records confirmed Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama as the oldest identical twins when they hit 107 years and 330 days.
They made the announcement yesterday (September 20) on Japan's Respect for the Aged Day national holiday.
The Guinness World Records statement said that they had taken the title as of September 1, beating two other Japanese sisters Kin Narita and Gine Kanie who were aged 107 years and 175 days.
Umeno and Koume were born on November 5, 1913, and had nine other siblings.
They grew up on the island of Shodoshima in the west of Japan. They were separated after primary school when Koume moved to the island of Kyushu to work as a maid.
Koume settled there with a husband whilst Umeno started her own family on Shodoshima.
They rarely met again until the age of 70 when they started taking trips to the Shikoku temples together.
Mafioso holds guard hostage with gun 'smuggled in via drone' in attempted prison escape
They have also previously recalled the difficulties of their childhood, during a period of Japanese history when children of multipe births were harassed.
The previous record holders had become famous in Japan during the 1990s, and the families of Umeno and Koume said that the pair often joked about taking the title.
Their certificates were posted to the two nursing homes where they now live. Guinness said that, although Koume's memory is faltering with age, her family were made up that she had achieved the award she so often talked about.
Builder destroys new shower he had just built claiming customer didn't pay full amount
They added that Umeno was in tears when she got hers.
With roughly 29% of its population aged 65 or over, Japan has the world's fastest aging population, including 86,510 centenarians.
It is also home to the world's oldest living person, 118-year-old Tanaka Kane.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
Source: Read Full Article
