107-Year-Old Japanese Identical Twins Recognized As World's Oldest

Koume (left) and Umeno (right). (Source: guinnessworldrecords)

JAKARTA - Two Japanese sisters aged 107 years and 300 days have been certified as the world's oldest and oldest identical twins on record, Japan's Guinness World Records said Monday this week.

As of September 1st, Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama have set their record, surpassing 100-year-old Japanese celebrity twin brothers Kin Narita and Gin Kanie who held the previous record of 107 years and 175 days.

Quoting Kyodo News on September 21, the two twins are known to have died. Narita died in 2000, while his twin Kanie died in 2001.

Known to the public as Kin-san and Gin-san, the brothers are famous in Japan, having appeared in various television shows and commercials.

Sumiyama and Kodama were born on November 5, 1913, on Shodo Island, Kagawa Prefecture, the third and fourth children of a total of 11 children. They lived separately after graduating from elementary school, but in their 70s they began making pilgrimages to the 88 shrines on Shikoku Island, according to certification.

They have in the past joked about aiming for the record set by Narita and Kanie, according to Guinness World Records.

"The twins live in separate nursing homes. Sumiyama burst into tears as she received the certificate from the staff at the facility, while Kodama, who suffers from memory loss, had difficulty understanding the award," said a Guinness World Records press release.

To note, the number of people aged 100 or over in Japan, which has one of the world's fastest-aging populations, is estimated at 86,510, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said last week, setting a new record for Japan.