By TAKESHI SUZUKI/ Staff Writer
February 13, 2020 at 17:08 JST
JOETSU, Niigata Prefecture—Displaying a sense of humor maintained for more than a century, Chitetsu Watanabe, 112, was recognized as the oldest living man on the planet by Guinness World Records.
Watanabe, who received the world-record certificate on Feb. 12 at a nursing home where he resides, will turn 113 on March 5.
He was born in 1907 in the village of Uragawara, which is now part of Joetsu city.
When he was in his 20s, Watanabe moved to Taiwan and worked at a sugar company.
He returned to his hometown after the end of World War II and landed jobs at a prefectural government agency and other places.
After his retirement, Watanabe took up farming and continued with his hobbies, including raising bonsai and calligraphy.
His family calls him “Big Grandpa,” but the nickname now falls short.
Watanabe has five children, 12 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
“He’s mild-mannered and serious-minded, but he also has a sense of humor,” said Yoko, 81, wife of his eldest son. “He’s a very wonderful person.”
After receiving the certificate from a Guinness World Records official, Watanabe drew laughter by saying, “Congratulations,” to himself.
He also responded to some of the questions from reporters by laughing widely.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Watanabe said the secret to longevity is “to laugh.”
Stories about memories of cherry blossoms solicited from readers
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series on the death of a Japanese woman that sparked a debate about criminal justice policy in the United States
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Chitetsu Watanabe is recognized as the world’s oldest man in Joetsu, Niigata Prefecture, on Feb. 12. The characters he wrote on the scroll mean “No. 1 in the world.” (Pool)
