He holds the record for being the world’s oldest living man, but now 115 year old Jiroemon Kimura can add another title to his record-breaking life: he is now the world’s oldest living person. And in a few days, when December ends, he will become the oldest man ever.
Sadly, he now holds the record for the world’s oldest living person after his elder, Dina Manfredini, an Italian immigrant to the US, passed away last Monday. Kimura, born April 19, 1897, also holds the records for being the oldest ever Japanese man, the oldest ever Asian man, and the last known man to live across three centuries. He was a postal worker until his retirement and has 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 13 great-great-grandchildren. He currently lives with his family in Kyotango, near Kyoto but stays in a special nursing home once or twice a month.
Kyotango mayor Yasushi Nakayama confirmed Kimura’s status last Tuesday and calls him “the pride of our town.” Last October, Guiness World Records Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday travelled to his hometown to hand deliver a copy of the Guinness World Records 2013. Glenday said it was an honor to meet Kimura whom he called “an exceptional person” and is only the third man in the history of the world to reach the age of 115.
In the future, his record might be seriously challenged because according to government figures, the percentage of the Japanese population 65 years and older is projected to increase 39.9% by 2060. That same year, life expectancy is predicted to rise 84.19 for men and 90.93 for women.
[ via Wall Street Journal ]