Jiroemon Kimura, the oldest man ever recorded, celebrated his
116th birthday Friday with a message from Japan's prime minister as
health chiefs launched a study into why his home city boasts so many
centenarians.
It was a busy day for Kimura,
who also greeted guests including the mayor of Kyotango city and
officials from the Guinness World Records.
"You give us pride and
confidence in the people of Japan," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a
pre-recorded video greeting that marked the milestone.
Mayor Yasushi Nakayama also
congratulated Kimura on reaching the ripe old age of 116, making him the
current world's oldest person and the longest living man on record.
"Yes, yes, thank you," said
Kimura, who is still a way off from the all-time record set by Jeanne
Calment, a French woman who died in 1997 at the age of 122 which made
her the longest living person in history.
Kimura, who was born in 1897 --
the same year as American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart -- spent time
in hospital after falling ill late last year, but was Friday back in
the home he shares with his grand-daughter-in-law, 60.
His morning started at 7:00 am
(2200 GMT) with a healthy breakfast -- a bowl of porridge with red
beans, egg tofu and mashed pumpkin, a local official said.
The centenarian now has to stay in bed most of the time, but never misses his three meals a day, he said.
Kimura had seven children, 14
grandchildren, 25 great-grand children and 14 great-great grandchildren,
and worked at a post office for about 40 years. After retiring he took
up farming which he continued to do until the age of 90.
The centenarian does not smoke,
has made it a practice to eat only until he is 80 percent full, and
drinks only a "modest" amount of alcohol, local authorities and media
said.
His motto in life is "to eat light and live long".
Encouraged by Kimura and 94
other people in Kyotango's 60,000-strong population who will this year
be 100 years old or more, the city has launched a research project to
find the secret of their longevity.
"We have a very high centenarian rate, about 2.5 times higher than the prefectural average," said a local health official.
"We don't have city-based data,
but Kyotango's rate is even 1.27 times higher than Kochi prefecture,
the top of all the 47 prefectures in Japan."
Health officials are researching the diet of Kimura and other centenarians, the official told AFP.
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