World's oldest man dies two days after he was awarded the title, aged 112, ... trends now
The world's oldest man has died just two days after he was awarded the title, aged 112, following the recent death of the previous 114-year-old holder.
Gisaburo Sonobe, born on November 6, 1911, was crowned the oldest living man in Japan in November 2022, at the age of 111.
He passed away in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture, China, but the cause of his death remains unknown.
Sonobe's long life spanned over 41,000 days, and to add to the legacy he leaves behind, he was a world record holder for two of them.
The former world's oldest man lived through an impressive set of historic moments ranging from the start of the Taisho era with the death of Emperor Meiji in 1912, and the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Gisaburo Sonobe, born on November 6, 1911, was the world's oldest man for two days before he passed away
Sonobe's predecessor died in November 2022, meaning they both survived two world wars and the Covid19 pandemic.
Japan has the highest rate of centenarians per population, thought to be above 90,000 people in a country of 125million.
Previous studies have suggested that good diet, exercise, spirituality, and a culture of caring for the elderly have contributed to this exceptional number.
Some 30 per cent of Japan's population is 65 or over, and 15 per cent are aged 75 and above.
When records began in 1963 there were estimated to be 153 centenarians.
The news of Sonobe's death comes just three days after the death of the former oldest man in the world, Venezuelan Juan Vicente Perez Mora, at age 114.
