Guinness Records certified Japanese sisters as Oldest Living Twins

Guinness World Records has certified two Japanese sisters as the “oldest living identical twins” of the world on September 20, 2021.

Key Points

  • Both the sisters are at 107.
  • This certification date coincides with the “Respect for the Aged Day” which is a national holiday in Japan.

Who are the twin sisters?

  • Twin sisters that have set the Guinness World Records are Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama.
  • Both were born as the third and fourth out of 11 siblings on November 5, 1913 on the Shodoshima island in western Japan.
  • They were separated after elementary school. Kodama was sent to work as a maid on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu. She later married there.
  • Sumiyama remained on the island where they were born and had her own family.
  • Both of them were 107 years and 300 days old as of Sept 1, 2021 and have broken the previous record set by Japanese sisters Kin Narita & Gin Kanie at 107 years, 175 days.

World’s fastest aging country

Japan is the world’s fastest aging country where about 29% of the 125 million population are 65 years or older. 86,510 of them are centenarians and half of them turned 100 in 2021.

Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records was incepted in the year 1955. It is a reference book published annually and lists world records of human achievements as well as the extremes of natural world. This list is the brainchild of Sir Hugh Beaver, and was co-founded by twin brothers Norris and Ross in August 1954.


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