As with most stories of heroism this one has grown in the telling. I went back and checked the sources and the basics of this remarkable story appear to be true.
When disaster strikes some people are frozen in place. Some are unable to do anything but mourn. Some feel just surviving is enough. Not Hideaki Akaiwa.
A true-life action hero. However, I think he’s less Rambo and more the Lone Ranger.
Kind of makes my work in using the locator feature of iPhones to track my wife’s lost phone look somewhat less heroic. Especially since I actually had to get my son to do it for me.