World’s Oldest Man, Jiroemon Kimura, Dies At 116

TOKYO (AFP) – The world’s oldest person
and the oldest man ever to have lived has
died of natural causes aged 116, officials in
Japan said Wednesday.
Jiroemon Kimura, who was born in 1897,
died in hospital early Wednesday morning
“from old age”, an official in Kyoto’s
Kyotango city said in a statement.
Kimura, who was from Kyotango, was
hospitalised in early May suffering from
pneumonia. A few days ago doctors noted
that his condition was worsening
Jiroemon Kimura
Kimura was recognised by Guinness World
Records as the world’s oldest living person
in December 2012, after a woman from the
United States died at the age of 115.
That month he also broke another record
when he was verified as the oldest man
ever to have lived, after reaching the age
of 115 years and 253 days.
However, he was well off the all-time
record set by French woman Jeanne
Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of
122, making her the longest living person
in history.
Kimura, who was born the same year as
American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart,
celebrated his 116th birthday in April,
receiving a pre-recorded video greeting
from Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The centenarian had seven children, 14
grandchildren, 25 great-grand children and
15 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.
He did not smoke and only ate until he was
80 percent full, the local official told AFP.
Kimura’s motto in life was “to eat light and
live long,” the official added.
The mayor of Kyotango will pay his
respects at Kimura’s house while the city
hall will prepare a place for a book of
condolences, the official said.
“I heard a wake will be tomorrow and a
funeral the day after tomorrow,” he said.
“Mr. Kimura was popular among residents
so we expect many people to visit to sign
condolences,” he added.
Encouraged by Kimura and 94 other people
in Kyotango who will this year be 100 years
old or more, the 60,000-strong city,
together with 36 other municipalities, is
planning to launch a research project to
examine their diets and find the secrets of
their longevity