Yasutaro Koide, a 112-year-old from Nagoya, was recognized Friday by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living man.
"It's too good for me. I thank you all," Koide said from the nursing home where he lives, bowing to well-wishers including his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Born in 1903, the year the first Tour de France bicycle race was held and Orville Wright flew the first powered airplane, Koide worked as a tailor in his youth.
Asked about the secret of his longevity, Koide said, "Don't try too hard. It is the best to leave it as it is."
Japan is one of the world's top countries for longevity. There were over 58,000 centenarians in Japan as of September 2014, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Guinness World Records has recognized a 116-year-old woman in New York, Susannah Jones, as the world's oldest living person.