TOKYO - The world's oldest man marked his 112th birthday Tuesday and told well-wishers in southwestern Japan he wants to celebrate an infinite number of additional ones.
Tomoji Tanabe, born Sept. 18, 1895, took the title last January after the death of Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, of Puerto Rico, who at 115 was then the oldest human.
Earlier this year, Tanabe received a certificate from Guinness World Records verifying him as the world's oldest male.
On Tuesday, the major of Miyakonojo City in Miyazaki, where Tanabe lives, presented him with a bouquet and a letter of congratulations.
When asked how many more years he wants to live, Tanabe said "infinitely,'' according to Miyakonojo city official Yasuo Yamashita.
A former city land surveyor who lives with his son and daughter-in-law., Tanabe is in good health and drinks milk. He keeps a diary, avoids alcohol and does not smoke.
In Japan, one of the world's most rapidly aging countries, there were 32,295 centenarians as of Sept. 1, according to the Health Ministry. The number of people aged 100 and over has almost quadrupled in the past 10 years.
