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
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.
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