After searching three months for an heir to replace the late Francisco Nuñez Olivera (of Spain) as the world’s oldest man, Guinness World Records has finally named a 112-year-old man in Japan as the new bearer of the blessed distinction.
Three and a half months from now, Masazo Nonaka will add yet another year to the life he was born into on July 25, 1905. The Ashoro, Hokkaido native’s life spans so many decades he’s lived to hear about nearly every illustrious event that has gone down in the 20th century. At the time of his birth, the Wright Brothers had yet commanded the world’s first power-driven flight, and Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity was still months away from being published.
Nonaka has outlived six brothers and a sister, and with the way he is going, he may just start surpassing some of his children (he has five, who themselves are in their later years).
“We are very pleased to announce that we have a new record holder for the oldest living man. Mr Nonaka’s achievement is remarkable – he can teach us all an important lesson about the value of life and how to stretch the limits of human longevity,” Editor-in-Chief of Guinness World Records Craig Glenday has said in a statement issued in recognition of Nonaka making history.