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Tomoji Tanabe, the oldest man in the world at 112, attributes his longevity to a diet of vegetables. He celebrated with two birthday parties this week to mark his 112th year.

The active Mr TanabeBorn was born in the same year as King George VI, who died in 1952. He said he has no plans to die and told reporters that he "wants to live indefinitely."

Mr Tanabe was declared the oldest man in the world by the Guinness Book of Records in January. He also ascribes his longevity to not touching alcohol and not smoking. He said that he keeps a diary and reads the newspaper every day to keep his mind active.

After accepting a bouquet of flowers and a present of Y100,000 (£450) from the mayor of his hometown of Miyakonojo in Southern Japan, Tanabe said he insists on drinking milk and taking a stroll around the neighborhood every day. A city official described Mr. Tanabe as "extremely healthy," a description that can be applied to thousands of other elderly Japanese. With improvements in healthcare, Japanese people are living longer than ever and the number of people in Japan over the age of 100 is expected to reach 32,000 next month.

One in five Japanese are aged 65 or older and Japanese women can expect to live to see their 85th birthday, but the number of children being born in Japan is declining, leaving the country with major concerns over how it will fund healthcare and social security payments with a contracting work force.

Japan marked its Respect for the Elderly national holiday on Monday, with Mr Tanabe celebrating with local dignataries on Tuesday morning and then with his family.