TOKYO: A Japanese mental health counsellor recited `pi' to 100,000 decimal places from memory on Wednesday, setting what he claims to be a new world record.

Akira Haraguchi, 60, took more than 16 hours to recite the number to 100,000 decimal places, breaking his own personal best of 83,431 digits set in 1995. He made the attempt at a public hall in Kisarazu, east of Tokyo.

Pi is a physical constant defined as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It is usually written out to a maximum of three decimal places, as 3.141, in mathematics textbooks. But the number, which has fascinated scientists for centuries, has no theoretical limit to the number of decimal places it can be written to. It is a constant that appears in the proofs of many equations defining the universe.

"What I am aiming at is not just memorising figures, I am thrilled by seeking a story in pi," Mr. Haraguchi said.

The Guinness Book of Records currently lists Hiroyuki Goto, also from Japan, as the official record holder for reciting pi from memory. He recited the ratio out to 42,195 decimal places in 1995.

Guinness never entered Mr. Haraguchi's 1995 feat in its record book. The editors of the book could not be immediately reached for comment regarding the latest attempt.

Mr. Haraguchi, a psychiatric counsellor and business consultant in nearby Mobara city, took a break of about five minutes every one to two hours, going to the rest room and eating rice balls during the attempt. All of Mr. Haraguchi's activities during the attempt, including his bathroom breaks, were videotaped for evidence that will later be sent for verification by the Guinness Book of Records. Two local education officials joined 29 conference hall staff who worked in rotation to monitor him. — AP

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