Hikaru Katō, the oldest living man in Japan, celebrated his 112th birthday
The Gerontology Research Group (GRG) is pleased to announce that Mr. Hikaru Katō, the oldest living man in Japan, has celebrated his 112th birthday on 2 May 2026 in Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture.
Hikaru Katō was born on 2 May 1914 in Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. After joining the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, he was drafted at the age of 24, just a year before World War II began, and was initially deployed to Taiwan. Four days after the war started, he landed in the Philippines, where he encountered American forces and sustained an injury to his right leg. Though he prepared himself for the possibility of death, he held faith in a Japanese victory. Later, he was stationed on the Indonesian island of Timor, where he ultimately learned of Japan’s defeat. When Australian forces invaded the island, Katō and his fellow Japanese soldiers were disarmed, handing over their rifles and ammunition. As a prisoner of war, he faced uncertainty but managed to sustain himself and others by growing sweet potatoes and vegetables on the island. Nine months after the war’s end, he returned to Japan in May 1946.
Upon his return, Katō resumed work as a clerk at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, contributing to Japan’s post-war agricultural recovery. He served in the Ministry until his retirement at the age of 59.
In 1968, Katō was honored for his 30 years of service. After retiring in 1973, he continued contributing to his community by teaching pottery classes at a city-run Elderly Living Workshop, a hobby he enjoyed well into his mid-90s. He also devoted time to writing, completing his autobiography and regularly submitting letters about his war experiences to local newspapers in Kumamoto until he was 109 years old, each time expressing his hope that war would never happen again.
On 23 November 2023, at the age of 109 years and 205 days, Katō surpassed Hideki Tanaka’s (田中秀喜, 25 March 1907 – 15 October 2016) final age, became the oldest man ever to resided in Kumamoto Prefecture. On 2 May 2024, he celebrated his 110th birthday and became a supercentenarian. On 14 September 2024, at the age of 110 years and 135 days, he surpassed Toshio Katayama’s (片山歳生, 5 January 1911 – 19 May 2021) final age, became the oldest man ever born in Kumamoto Prefecture.
Katō age was verified by Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, Japan, and validated by the GRG on 26 September 2024.
Hikaru Katō currently lives in a nursing home in Yamaga, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan at the age of 112. At the age of 112, he is still able to walk with an aid of walker, take the bath, brush his teeth, dress himself, and feed himself. He has a daily exercise routine and often impresses his fellow residents at the nursing home with his mobility.
Happy 112th birthday to Mr. Hikaru Katō! We wish him a good health and a long life!
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