Masazo Nonaka, a 112-year-old Japanese man residing in the country’s northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, was recognised as the world’s oldest living male, Guinness World Records said on Tuesday.
Born on July 25, 1905, Nonaka received a certificate from Guinness World Records, Xinhua news agency reported citing the local media. He was also presented with an award and a cake from the Mayor of the Ashoro town where he was born and lives currently with his family.
Nonaka said he enjoys watching sumo wrestling on TV and listening to music. His home is also a hot spring inn dating back more than a century that Nonaka used to run with his wife.
“Nonaka’s achievement is remarkable,” Guinness World Records’ editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said, adding, “he can teach us all an important lesson about the value of life and how to stretch the limits of human longevity”.
Koki Kurohata, Nonaka’s great-grandson said: “He has not been receiving nursing care at a facility and has a clear brain. He’s really amazing.”
His granddaughter Yuko said that her grandfather enjoys relaxing in the hot spring once a week and has a sweet tooth.
Following the death of Jamaican Violet Brown aged 117 in September 2017, Nabi Tajima, a 117-year-old Japanese resident of Kagoshima Prefecture, was likely to be recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living woman.
