Hiromitsu Shinkawa, Japanese Man, Saved 2 Days After Being Swept To Sea By Tsunami

TOKYO — Hiromitsu Shinkawa was pushed out to sea while he clung to the roof of his home after a tsunami swept away his wife. For two days, he drifted off Japan's northeastern coast, trying to get the attention of helicopters and ships that passed by – to no avail.

Finally, on Sunday, a Japanese military vessel spotted the 60-year-old waving a red cloth. He was about 15 kilometers (about 10 miles) offshore from the earthquake-ravaged city of Minamisoma, said Yoshiyuki Kotake, a Defense Ministry spokesman.

Shinkawa told his rescuers that the tsunami hit as he and his wife returned home to gather some belongings after Friday's quake. His wife was swept away, Kotake said.

"Several helicopters and ships passed by, but none of them noticed me," he was quoted by another defense agency spokesman, who refused to be identified by name, as saying.

Japanese troops used a small boat to pluck him from the ocean.

Military officials said Shinkawa was lucky that mild weather and relatively calm seas enabled him to stay afloat for nearly two days, the Kyodo news agency reported.

"I thought today was the last day of my life," it quoted him as saying.

Comments

[Mali Inomata]

03:22 PM on 03/14/2011

Oh my gosh this story made me cry a little. Can you imagine thinking today is the last day of your life? Wow. Poor man had to watch his wife being swept away. :( SAVE JAPAN

[academy1]

01:52 PM on 03/14/2011

kinda makes you wonder what the helicopters actually look for. Waving a red piece of fabric for 2 days? sad. poor soul. glad he is alive. I'm sure he questions if he really is happy to be alive if his wife and home are gone for good.

[j0em0mma]

03:56 PM on 03/14/2011

The ocean is BIG. He was very lucky.

[SarahCuda2]

12:40 PM on 03/14/2011

I recall the Banda Aceh survivor who was swept out to sea and spent 8 days hanging onto a tree branch after the 2004 tsunami.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4147937.stm

[Max Shaw]

12:10 PM on 03/14/2011

This is a small bright spot on an otherwise incredly devastastingly dark tragedy. Glad he survived.

and P.S. - Hey HP, can we change the headline on the main page from 'Japan Man' to 'Japanese Man?' WTF...

[roybattyjunior]

12:50 PM on 03/14/2011

I second that.

[Azieran]

01:34 PM on 03/14/2011

I thought it was the Japanese version of Captain America.

[CynWaveRider]

10:22 AM on 03/14/2011

Bless the People of Japan. May our government (Congress & Administartion) get their heads out of their butts and end all further nuclear power development. Nuclear energy is a clear path to destruction, it is insane to continue with nuclear energy!

[Vinzago]

12:37 PM on 03/14/2011

Never let a crisis go to waste, huh?

[brickridge]

12:43 PM on 03/14/2011

It wasn't so much the earthquake but the Tsunami that caused the problem with the Nuclear plants. The earthquake yes did shut down the electic, but the Generators were shorted out by the water from the Tsunami is the problem. So please think before saying we need to get rid of our nuclear plants. Our plants are safe and the Navy has used Nuclear power for over 50 years without any problems.

[ZoeT]

02:06 PM on 03/14/2011

No problems to them, maybe, but where do you think the nuclear wastes go? We already know that earlier wastes (that will exist for hundreds of thousands of years) are burning through their buried original containers. We know that light traces of radioactivity can be detected along the highways where trucks haul nuclear wastes to their burial site.

What if your little boy genius came to you and said, "I can make something really neat, Mommy, but the only thing is after it gives light to us, it will produce a toxic waste that will either give us cancer or kill us, and if it gets too hot, it will explode and kill the entire town"? Wouldn't that sound insane to you? Wouldn't you say, "Listen, honey, invent something else that isn't so dangerous"?

[Dee Poole]

09:38 AM on 03/14/2011

In regards to who do we look up to. The president or any one in government for that matter. I don't count on them. I know they work for us. " For the people by the people" But I have learned in my life time , which is over a half a century, that I cannot count on the people, or circumstances around me for my comfort, security, or happiness. I draw that from within me. When I stop fretting, and realize all the good in our world, I feel better. But it is not about feelings either. I choose to be joyful because of my faith. Not in mankind, because they will let you down. "only Human" right! But in God who created the world, and I can trust Him. Oh! it is not a piece of cake. But a piece of PEACE. A good day to all of you. Dee

[brabc1]

11:04 AM on 03/14/2011

Dee, your view of the world is very selfish. We are all in this together. We are all going to die anyway.

Wake up! We will be judged by how we treat the least among us.

[Ryan Nice]

12:07 PM on 03/14/2011

"Very selfish"? Easy tiger. I think she was just talking about some inner peace and security, and reliance on powers greater than mankind. She didn't say she was checking out of society.No need to be all self-righteous.

[cathleen]

09:14 AM on 03/14/2011

Bless his soul and the the soul of his more than likely deceased wife. Instead of watching from the sidelines at the very least people can to to the "How can you help" post at the Huffington Post and send money to organizations that are helping

[DARK STAR]

08:35 AM on 03/14/2011

Natural forces are so much more powerful than man's greatest protection.

[peacekitten]

07:41 AM on 03/14/2011

i really hope that the powers of the universe will ease up on japan.

they are now being told to brace for a significant earthquake around nagano in the next few days.

more than 300 aftershocks.

a volcano has erupted.

three of the six reactors are in trouble, and have stopped cooling.

and it's supposed to turn cold and snow on thursday.

i think they've had quite enough.

my deepest sympathies to this poor man who lost his wife.  i hope that he will find other members of his family alive to gather together for comfort.

[foofoobunny]

11:34 AM on 03/14/2011

very well said, ty

[The Ogre]

02:16 PM on 03/14/2011

God must be punishing them for all the gays in their country.

*kidding*

[will357]

07:40 AM on 03/14/2011

That's not the whole story as reported on Sirius Satellite radio, he took his 1st drink of water in days and then burst into tears at the loss of his wife. This man was 60 yrs old and knowing Japenese culture this was probably his wife of 30 or more years........very, very sad.

[peacekitten]

07:43 AM on 03/14/2011

it really is.  i hope he still has some of his family intact to comfort him during this overwhelming time.  i cannot even imagine what he and the other people of japan have been through.

[StephenJK]

10:15 AM on 03/14/2011

Imagine, two days alone, with your thoughts of how and why you're there and your wife isn't. Unbelievably and unbearably sad.

[Marvelousdreams]

07:31 AM on 03/14/2011

I have been curious to know about the Sunami warning after the quake. Does anybody know if a sunami warning was issued and how much time lapsed between the warning and the sunami?

[peacekitten]

07:32 AM on 03/14/2011

the tsunami hit about half an hour after the earthquake.  i'm sure warnings were issued, but that's still a very small window of time.

[ontariogirl]

08:17 AM on 03/14/2011

Yes there were warnings half an hour before but the main road out became congested very quickly and there was no way out. My heart breaks for these people.

[phoebequeen]

06:59 AM on 03/14/2011

This guy was so lucky. I'm sorry that his wife didn't make it though.

[rocko2466]

06:48 AM on 03/14/2011

I thought this said 'saved 2 dogs' and I thought it was even more heartwarming than it is. I'm disappointed now lol.

[Jennifer Hagan]

06:58 AM on 03/14/2011

Why would you be disappointed that any life was saved? Are you that callous?

[peacekitten]

07:37 AM on 03/14/2011

animals are often left behind in situations like this, left to fend for themselves and face incredible horrors on their own.  it is especially heartwarming when those who are voiceless and so often forgotten are saved too.

some people have been reunited with their pets in this horrendous mess, and the photos of them getting their pet back are very touching.  japan is a nation of animal lovers, and when they have lost everything else, they find enormous comfort in their animals, and vice versa.  just like so many other people do.

i'm happy for all the lives saved, and especially happy for the ones so often forgotten.  they are someone's family, too.

[nana4g]

09:00 AM on 03/14/2011

For some, "That's Entertainment". Of course, the rescue of someone's pets is nice....the rescue of a human takes priority. Pets "know" that. They often give their life in defense of their master.

[butchcliff]

07:41 AM on 03/14/2011

Odd thought (even lol) Fightening & tragic for the man. Amazing rescue

[matthewhgrant]

06:41 AM on 03/14/2011

God bless the people of japan.

[greysells2]

09:56 AM on 03/14/2011

The Japanese people have suffered unimaginable terror as this gentleman has. They are a storng people who are bending under the pressure of their plight. I hope they do not break. Speaking of breaks, the Japanese deserve a break right about now.