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TOKYO: A 111-year-old Japanese engineer born
at the end of the century was awarded official recognition Monday as
the world’s newest oldest man, and joked he was sorry for still
being alive.
Tomoji Tanabe, a teetotaler who
has repeatedly said that avoiding alcohol was a secret of his
longevity, was given a certificate from the Guinness Book of World
Records by the mayor of his local municipality.
Tanabe, from Miyazaki prefecture
on the southern island of Kyushu, was born on September 18,
1895—before Japan became a world player, Australia became
independent or the Wright Brothers created the first plane.
“It is nothing special,” he
said, adding tongue-in-cheek, “I have lived too long. I am
sorry.”
With the recognition, Japan
boasts having both the world’s oldest man and the oldest woman—Yone
Minagawa, 114, who also lives in Kyushu.
To look after himself, Tanabe
mainly eats vegetables and few greasy dishes, a Miyakonojo city
official said.
He became the oldest male after
his predecessor, Emiliano Mercado del Toro of Puerto Rico, died at
the age of 115 on January 24.
More than 28,000 Japanese are at
least 100 years old, most of them women, according to the
government.
The Japanese people’s renowned
longevity is often attributed to eating the country’s traditional
healthy food, despite the hectic lifestyle many lead in the big
cities.
 --AFP
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