World's oldest person celebrates 117th birthday a day early

Japan has 58,000 people who are over the age of 100

Misao Okawa is the world's oldest person at 117 (AP)

The world’s oldest person is celebrating her 117th birthday one day early today in Japan – the country which has the most centenarians.

Misao Okawa, the daughter of a kimono maker and a widow for around 84 years, said that the record-breaking length of her life doesn’t seem like such a long time.

Surrounded by relatives and staff from Kurenai Nursing Home, she wore a pink kimono decorated with cherry blossom prints – the same that she wore for her 116th birthday – and a pink flower in her hair.

However, she previously attributed her long life and relative health to the benefits of sushi and getting enough sleep – according to MailOnline. She had said: “Eat and sleep and you will live a long time. You have to learn to relax.”

Okawa married her husband, Yukio, in 1919, and they had two daughters and a son – who is 92 – before he died in 1931. She also has four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Japan has the most centenarians in the world, with more than 58,000, according to the government. About 87 percent of them are women.

The traditional Japanese diet has been attributed to long life expectancies. Controlled portions of raw fish, soup, seaweed, vegetables and green tea have been found to boost the immune system, reduce blood pressure and lower cholesterol.

Japanese females have the highest life expectancy for women out of all countries, living for an average of 87.3 years. Men live on average for 80 years – according to the World Health Organization.