Meet world’s oldest living male

A Japanese 112-year-old has been crowned the oldest man in the world.

Chitetsu Watanabe from Niigata was today officially confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records as the longest living male at 112 years and 344 days old.

He was born on 5 March, 1907 in the town where he currently lives as the first of eight children of his father Haruzo and mother Miya.

Chitetsu moved to Taiwan for 18 years to grow sugar cane, before serving in the military towards the end of the Pacific War in 1944.

He returned to Niigata with his wife Mitsue and four young children during a difficult period in Japanese history.

"Both Chitetsu and Tetsuo told me that getting to places and sourcing food was a struggle," Yoko Watanaba, the wife of Chitetsu's son Testsuo said.

"Having to live under that circumstance with four young children must have been tough."

Despite his ample years Chitetsu has barely slowed down.

Following his retirement, in 1974 he and Tetsuo set up a one-hectare farm next to his family home.

For the next 38 years - until Chitetsu was 104 - they grew potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries and plums on the land together.

As for the secret to his longevity, he told a local paper last year it is "not to get angry and keep a smile on your face".

Chitetsu now lives in a care home and is not as active as he once was.

Until last summer his daily activities including exercising, origami, calligraphy and maths.

He is currently four years shy of being crowned the oldest man ever to live, a title which belongs to 116 years and 54 days old Jiroemon Kimura, also from Japan.

He died on 12 June, 2013.

Kane Tanaka, who is currently the oldest living woman, celebrated her 117th birthday in January.