BIOGRAPHY

Shōjirō Shirai was born in Japan on 29 October 1909. He had three children.

In 2016, even though his hearing was deteriorating, he was able to take care of everything around him. At the age of 107, he attended daycare once a week and had good memory. As of September 2018, he was living with his second son and daughter-in-law. At the time, he was still able to read newspapers and history books. He had eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Shōjirō Shirai passed away in the district of Adogawacho Aoyagi in Takashima, Shiga Prefecture, Japan, on 11 August 2020.

RECOGNITION

On 5 February 2016, following the death of 106-year-old Masao Hasegawa (Japanese: 長谷川政男) of Otsu, he became the oldest living man in Shiga Prefecture, at the age of 106.

On 14 April 2020, following the death of 110-year-old Issaku Tomoe of Aichi Prefecture, he became the oldest living man in Japan.

His age was verified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), as well as Ryohei Asano, and validated by LongeviQuest on 14 May 2023.

His passing was not made public for half a month due to the wishes of his relatives, and was announced by Shiga Prefecture on 27 August, following the passing of his successor, Motoi Fukunishi of Ibaraki Prefecture. Shirai was the last surviving Japanese man born in the 1900s decade.

ATTRIBUTION

* “最高齢：おめでとう もうすぐ敬老の日 白井庄次郎さん108歳、早藤まつさん109歳に祝い金 高島 ／滋賀” – Mainichi Shimbun, 15 April 2020

GALLERY