World's oldest person dies at 114

The oldest person in the world has died one week before her 115th birthday in a care home in Japan.

Kama Chinen died on Sunday in Nanjo on the southern island of Okinawa, a spokesperson at her care facility said.

She was recognised by Guinness World Records last September after the previous title-holder died.

Eugenie Blanchard, a 114-year-old French woman, is now the oldest person in the world, according to the Gerontology Research Group.

Kama Chinen's family have kept many of her details private, with some Japanese newspapers not even publishing her name.

Guinness World Records released a statement to say they were "saddened" by her death.

"Though confined to a wheelchair in her later years, Chinen still enjoyed the wonders of nature and being outside," it read.

Japan has the world's highest life expectancy, according to the UN.

In September, a Japanese government report said there were more than 40,000 people aged 100 or over.