Mr. Minato (born 3 January 1908?/19 February 1909?) is a Japanese supercentenarian claimant, whose age is unvalidated. If he could be validated, he could be the next Jiroemon Kimura.
Biography[]
Mr. Minato (previously known as the initials of G.K.) claimed to have been born in Japan in 1908. On 13 March, 1932, he married a woman named Chiyo Numano (23 December 1908 - 31 October 1992), with whom he had 11 children.
Through his sister N. Minato (1897-1954) (later N. Kusano), he is the great uncle of Japanese actor, Baku Idegami.
He lived in England for unknown time period in his life.
Later Life & Supercentenarian Years[]
On 4 March 2004, aged 96, he was featured on a health show that talked about senior citizens, and at that time, he still walked everywhere he went, stating "exercise is the staff of living a long life". He was in fine health at this age and said that he was ready to conquer the world.
On his 112th birthday in 2020, he gave a local interview where he said "moderation is key in all things", and apparently enjoyed eating sweets, but in his words "quite a rare event". He was still in good health at his age though he sometimes needed assistance to walk and he spoke slowly.
On 21 November 2024, he appeared in another local interview where he talked about his longevity. He said he was aware of Jiroemon Kimura's record, and that while it felt nice to possibly have beaten the record, it made him depressed that all the other men from 1908 were no longer among the living. He said the publicity of his old age made him sad, and he did not wish to consult the Guinness World Records. He said that if he had been a century younger, he wouldn't have drawn so much attention.
In February 2025, his family appeared in an article of a Japanese magazine, stating that they have reconsidered the Guinness World Records, and on 9 February 2025, they have officially applied to have him recognized. At around this age, he had began to become weak, but was still strong enough to stand on his own.
Age Issues[]
In 2024, there were reports of him being validated by the "WSP", but no such organization has been proven to exist as of 2025.
While his age is questionable, the original koseki records are not available to the public.
He appears on the Tokyo 1915 census, taken on 1 January 1915, as aged 5, and in a school document from fall 1915, which records his birth date as 19 February 1909. A college identification document, also supports 19 February 1909 as a date of birth.
His wedding certificate and ID card support 3 January 1908.
Rumors[]
There is a theory circulating the internet that he is more likely to have been born on 19 February 1909, and exaggerated his age by 1 year in order to be "older" than his wife, as it was customary in early 20th century Japan for a husband to be older than his wife.