Japanese Chitetsu Watanabe, aged 112, poses next to the calligraphy reading in Japanese 'World Number One' after he was awarded as the world's oldest living male (AFP Photo/STR) |
Tokyo (AFP) - A 112-year-old Japanese man has been crowned the world's oldest male, claiming that smiling is the key to longevity.
Chitetsu
Watanabe, who was born on March 5, 1907 in Niigata, north of Tokyo, was
officially given the title at his nursing home in the city, Guinness World
Records said Wednesday.
The
previous record holder, Masazo Nonaka, also Japanese, died last month at 112
years and 266 days.
Watanabe,
who is married with five children, said the secret to longevity is to "not
get angry and keep a smile on your face."
He admitted
a penchant for sweets such as custard pudding -- but it appears to have done
him no harm.
The oldest
living person is also Japanese, Kane Tanaka, a 117-year-old woman.
Japan has
one of the world's highest life expectancies and has been home to several
people recognised as among the oldest humans to have ever lived.
They
include Jiroemon Kimura, the longest-living man on record, who died soon after
his 116th birthday in June 2013.
The oldest
verified person ever -- Jeanne Louise Calment of France -- died in 1997 at the
age of 122, according to Guinness.
No comments:
Post a Comment