The world’s oldest person, a Japanese woman, has died a few weeks after celebrating her 117th birthday.

Misao Okawa died of heart failure and stopped breathing as relatives and nursing home workers stood by her side and praised her for achieving a long, healthy life, said Tomohiro Okada, an official at an Osaka nursing home.

Okawa, born in Osaka on March 5, 1898, was recognised as the world’s oldest person by Guinness World Records in 2013.

Okawa lost her appetite about 10 days ago. Until then, she had been eating well, enjoying her daily cup of coffee and her favourite dishes, including ramen, Okada said.

The daughter of a kimono maker, she said at her recent birthday celebration that her life seemed rather short. Asked for the secret of her longevity, she responded nonchalantly: “I wonder about that too.”

She married her husband Yukio in 1919 and they had two daughters and a son. She is survived by four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 1931.

A 116-year-old US woman, Gertrude Weaver of Arkansas, is now the world’s oldest person, according to Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, which keeps records of super-centenarians. She was born on July 4, 1898.