World’s oldest man dies at the ripe age of 112 in Japan

The world’s oldest man, a Japanese who died at the age of 112, said his secret to a long life was not to smoke, drink or overdo it.

The world’s oldest man, a Japanese citizen who died at the age of 112, said his secret to a long life was not to smoke, drink or overdo it.

In this Aug. 21, 2015, file photo, Yasutaro Koide, 112, holds the Guinness World Records certificate as he is formally recognized as the world's oldest man at a nursing home in Nagoya, central Japan. Koide, who was born on March 13, 1903, has died on Tuesday. (AP Photo)

Yasutaro Koide, born on March 13, 1903, died two months short of his 113th birthday.

Koide (pronounced “Koy-deh”) worked as a tailor when he was younger. He was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest man in August.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said he died early Tuesday at a hospital in Nagoya, central Japan, where he had been treated for chronic heart problems.

In Japan, 111-year-old Tokyo native Masamitsu Yoshida, born on May 30, 1904, succeeds Koide as the oldest man. It was not immediately known whether Yoshida is also the world’s oldest male.

Japan, a rapidly aging country, has more than 61,000 centenarians, according to the nation’s family registration records. Nearly 90% are women.

The world’s oldest person is an American woman, 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones of Brooklyn, New York.