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Sima Yi
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World's oldest man celebrates 114th birthday
The world's oldest man, Japanese citizen Jiroemon Kimura, turned 114 on Tuesday.
Jiroemon Kimura was born on April 19, 1897 Photo: AP
10:03AM BST 19 Apr 2011
"It is a great honour, and words alone cannot describe my feelings," Mr Kimura said, according to city officials in Kyotango, Kyoto prefecture, who congratulated him.
Born on April 19, 1897, Kimura worked at a post office for about 40 years and after his retirement turned to farming until age 90.
He has seven children, of whom five are still alive, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren.
Mr Kimura now spends most of the day in bed except when he eats three times a day, according to Eiko Kimura, the wife of one of his grandchildren.
He has a good appetite and is particularly fond of red bean cake and rice.
According to the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, Kimura is the world's oldest man since Walter Breuning, a retired railworker, died of natural causes last Thursday in the US state of Montana at the age of 114.
The world's oldest person is a US woman, 114-year-old Besse Cooper, according to the group. She was born on August 26, 1896.
