World's oldest man dies at 112

The world's oldest man, Japanese Yasutaro Koide, has died at the age of 112.

The world's oldest man, Japanese Yasutaro Koide, has died at the age of 112. (AAP)

The world's oldest man, a Japanese, has died at the age of 112, two months short of his 113th birthday.

Yasutaro Koide was born on March 13, 1903, and said his secret to a long life was not to overdo it, or drink or smoke.

A native of Nagoya, Koide worked as a tailor when he was younger. He became the world's oldest man in August.

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare says he died early on Tuesday.

In Japan, 111-year-old Tokyo native Masamitsu Yoshida, born on May 30, 1904, succeeds Koide as the oldest man. 

The world's oldest person is an American woman, 116-year-old Susannah Mushatt Jones of Brooklyn, New York.