A 115-year-old man in Kyoto prefecture, western Japan, has been named world’s oldest man for the second year running.
Jiro-emon Kimura of Kyotango city was born in April 1897.
An editor from the Guinness World Records visited Kimura’s home and presented him with a certificate to acknowledge the record.
Mr Kimura thanked him in both Japanese and English. He spends much of his day in bed, but has no significant health problems.
The publisher says the world’s oldest man to date, Christian Mortensen from Denmark, lived 115 years and 252 days before he died in 1998.
Mr Kimura will break this record if he lives until December 28th this year.
Elsewhere, an Indian farm hand has claimed to have become the world’s oldest father for a second time.
Ramajit Raghav, 96, had his first son two years ago in November 2010. His wife gave birth to a second son on 5 October.
Mr Raghav was a bachelor and practised celibacy throughout his life until he met his wife Shakuntala Devi around ten years ago.
The Times of India reports that when asked about the secret of his vitality, he said was “a wrestler in his younger days when his daily diet comprised half a kg of munched almonds, equal measure of ghee and three litres of milk besides vegetables and chapattis.”
Mr Raghav said he has been a teetotaller and a strict vegetarian all his life.