"It is a great honour, and words alone cannot describe my feelings," Kimura said, according to city officials in Kyotango, Kyoto prefecture, who congratulated him.
Born on April 19, 1897, Kimura worked at a post office for about 40 years and after his retirement turned to farming until age 90.
He has seven children, of whom five are still alive, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great-grandchildren.
Kimura now spends most of the day in bed except when he eats three times a day, the city quoted Eiko Kimura, the wife of one of his grandchildren, as saying.
He has a good appetite and is particularly fond of red bean cake and rice.
According to the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group, Kimura is the world`s oldest man since Walter Bruening, a retired railworker, died of natural causes last Thursday in the US state of Montana at the age of 114.
The world`s oldest person is a US woman, 114-year-old Besse Cooper, according to the group. She was born on August 26, 1896.
(Uu.E012/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
