Twin sisters with 2.5 feet height difference set Guinness records

Tokyo: Two sisters from Japan have entered the Guinness World Records for their height difference. Yoshie and Michie Kikuchi are twins but have a height difference of 75 cm (2ft 5.5 in).

Their record title is for the greatest height differential in living non-identical twins (female). Yoshie stands tall at 162.5 cm (5 ft 4 in), and Michie stands at 87.5 cm ( 2ft 10.5 in). The 33-year-olds also have different facial features.

The Guinness World Records shared the new record on Twitter and wrote: "Greatest height differential in living fraternal twins (female) - 75.0 cm (2 ft 5.5 in) between Yoshie and Michie Kikuchi (Japan) Despite their differences, Yoshie and Michie remain the closest of sisters."

The Kikuchi sisters - fraternal twins, a result of the fertilisation of two separate eggs - were born on 15 October 1989. Michie has a condition called congenital spinal epiphyseal dysplasia, a bone disorder that prevents her from growing. Michie lives at her parent's home and she helps with the day-to-day running of the temple run by her father, said the press release.

Michie said she read about the shortest man in the world in 2012 and was shocked to see that there is someone out there showcasing his short height as a virtue. She added that she was shy about her condition. Until then, she was introverted partly because of her insecurities over her height.

After that, she began thinking about earning a record for herself. While she was too tall to be the shortest woman in the world, she realised the height difference between the sisters made them unique. Their heights were measured three times in the morning, at lunchtime, and in the evening. And a qualified doctor was in place to make sure the readings were accurate.

Yoshie is now a mother herself and has moved out of their parent's home.