Japanese Couple With Combined Age Of 208 Set Record As Oldest Living Married Couple

Keeping a lasting relationship can be difficult for some people. However, one Japanese couple has proven that love can last for almost a century. The centenarians have been together for more than 80 years and with the combined age of 208, they have set the world record for the oldest living married couple.

Masao Matsumoto and Miyako Sonoda were married on October 20, 1937, and have lived a truly interesting life together. Masao was born on July 9, 1910, which makes him 108 years old. His wife was born on November 24, 1917, and has just turned 100. Their combined age of 208 has allowed them to claim the Guinness World Record for the Oldest Living Married Couple, Aggregate Age.

The couple almost didn’t get married when they started dating.

Luckily, things worked out and they are now Guinness World Record title holders!

Being together for more than 80 years hasn’t always been easy for Masao and Miyako. In fact, they almost never got married in the first place. Although they are both from the Oita Prefecture in Japan, they met through an acquaintance. When Miyako’s family finally visited Masao’s home to arrange a marriage, they found out that Masao had left for a different region of Japan.

Masao had every intention to marry Miyako but had been paying off his brother’s debts and wasn’t able to return home right away. Luckily, Miyako decided to wait and the two were married in 1937.

Married life wasn’t always easy for the couple. They have survived several wars and admit that they sometimes disagree on a lot of things. Nevertheless, they stayed together through love, respect, and understanding.

Masao and Miyako with their proud family.

The Japanese couple’s union has resulted in five daughters, 13 grandchildren, and a great-grandchild on the way. There is little doubt that they will enjoy more years together in the future.

The previous title holder was a Norwegian couple Karl and Gurdren Dolven who had a combined age of 210. The Japanese couple is only two years away from smashing their record.