This handout photo released by Kyotango Government on Apr 19, 2013, shows the world's oldest person Jiroemon Kimura smiling as he celebrates his 116th birthday at his residence in Kyotango city in Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan.
Japan's Jiroemon Kimura, who was born in 1897, died in hospital early on Wednesday morning, Kyodo News cited the local government as saying.
Mr Kimura, from Kyotango in Kyoto Prefecture, was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person in December 2012 when a woman from the United States died at the age of 115.
On the 28th day of that month he broke another record, when he became the oldest man ever verified to have lived when he reached the age of 115 years and 253 days.