TOKYO, June 18, 2007

111-Year-Old Cited As World's Oldest Man

Tomoji Tanabe Of Japan Certified By Guinness As Oldest Male

  • Tomoji Tanabe, 111, front left, poses with the certificate of the Guinness World Records in Miyakonojo, Japan, on June 18, 2007. Tanabe was listed as the world's oldest male in the record book earlier this month. Photo

    Tomoji Tanabe, 111, front left, poses with the certificate of the Guinness World Records in Miyakonojo, Japan, on June 18, 2007. Tanabe was listed as the world's oldest male in the record book earlier this month.  (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

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(AP)  At 111, the world's oldest man keeps a daily diary, drinks milk and stays away from alcohol and smoking.

"I don't want to die," Tomoji Tanabe told reporters Monday, while receiving a certificate from the Guinness World Records at a ceremony in southern Japan verifying him as the world's oldest male.

Tanabe, who lives in the southern city of Miyakonojo, took the title in January following the death of Puerto Rico's Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, who at 115 was also the oldest human. But Tanabe, born Sept. 18, 1895, was certified by Guinness only earlier this month, according to Kyodo News agency.

Tanabe, a former city land surveyor, thanked his children and grandchildren for caring for him over the years and described Monday's event as "nothing special."

Coincidentally, the world's oldest person, a woman, is also Japanese. Yone Minagawa, 114, was born Jan. 4, 1893.

The number of Japanese living beyond 100 has almost quadrupled in the past 10 years, with the once-exclusive centenarian club expected to exceed 28,000 this year. Experts often attribute the longevity to a Japanese diet rich in vegetables and fish.


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Add a Comment
by shanev137 June 18, 2007 4:14 PM PDT
Wow, that little dude sure doesn't look like he's 111.
Reply to this comment
by hawksprings June 18, 2007 4:19 PM PDT

Have you ever noticed how the "world's oldest man/woman" keep dying??
It's like it's some kind of curse or something!
Reply to this comment
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