PAST A CENTURY PLUS THIRTEEN

The world's oldest man has celebrated his 113th birthday at his home in southern Japan, telling reporters about his joyful life and healthy appetite.Tomoji Tanabe, who was born Sept. 18, 1895, has received flowers and an award of $1,000 from the mayor of his home city of Miyakonojo. Tanabe was officially declared the world’s oldest man in January 2007 following the death of 115-year-old Puerto Rican Emiliano Mercado del Toro.Tanabe has said he wants to live another five years, according to a city spokesman. The former city land surveyor remains in good health. He does not smoke, eats mostly vegetables and believes the key to longevity is not drinking alcohol.Tanabe lives with his son, drinks milk every day and has no major illnesses, although he now writes in his diary only once or twice a month. He used to write on a daily basis.Legends of longevityThe Japanese are among the world's longest-lived people, with the number of those aged 100 or older at a record 36,276, a government report last week showed. Japanese women have topped the world's longevity ranks for 23 years, while men rank third behind Iceland and Hong Kong.Although Tanabe is officially the world’s oldest man, there are ten female supercentenarians who are older than him. Heading the list is American Edna Parker who was born on April 20 1893 and is recognised as the world’s oldest living human. She inherited the record from Japan’s Yone Minagawa, who passed away in August 2007.