A Japanese man has just been verified as the oldest male in the entire world at the age of 112 years and 259 days old – and he credits his happy longevity to his sweet tooth and sumo wrestling television programs.

After extensive research into his origins and proof of age, Masazo Nonaka of Hokkaido, Japan was presented with his record-breaking certificate by Guinness World Records earlier this week.

Nonaka, who has outlived his wife and siblings, now enjoys his retirement with his family and their two cats. The senior's favorite past times include eating cake, soaking in hot springs, and watching samurai dramas and sumo wrestling on TV.

Nonaka has such an affinity for sweets, he will often try and feed his dinner to the cats without the rest of his family noticing, according to Guinness.

His family believes that the reason for his longevity is mostly because he chooses to live a life that is free of stress – even if it means consuming large amounts of sugar.

"We are very pleased to announce that we have a new record holder for the oldest living man," said Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records' Editor-in-Chief. "Mr Nonaka's achievement is remarkable – he can teach us all an important lesson about the value of life and how to stretch the limits of human longevity."

Nonaka takes the title for the oldest man after the previous placeholder, a Japanese man who lived to be 116, died in 2013. The oldest person to ever live is recorded to be a 122-year-old French woman who passed away in 1997. The current titleholder for the oldest female is currently being investigated.

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