Hideaki Akaiwa
{{Short description|Japanese doctor}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hideaki Akaiwa
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = ja
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = c. 1968
| birth_place = Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, Japan
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Japanese
| other_names =
| spouse = {{marriage|Hiroko Akaiwa|1991}}
| years_active =
| known_for = saving his wife, mother and searching for survivors during the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
| notable_works =
}}
{{nihongo|Hideaki Akaiwa||Akaiwa Hideaki|born 1968}} (in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese doctor who was recognized as a hero for his actions in the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Overview
Akaiwa was at work when the earthquake struck at 2:46 p.m. on March 11, and rushed home to find his neighborhood flooded with up to 10 feet of water.{{cite news|last=Magnier|first=Mark|title=For one quake survivor, self-help in the face of seeming helplessness|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-mar-17-la-fg-japan-quake-scuba-20110317-story.html|access-date=2 September 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=March 17, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922013244/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2011-mar-17-la-fg-japan-quake-scuba-20110317-story.html |archive-date=22 September 2020|url-status=live}} Akaiwa retrieved a wetsuit, swam nearly {{convert|200|m|feet}}, waded his way through the debris and underwater hazards and reached his house. The house was flooded up to {{convert|3|m|feet}}, he found his wife Hiroko Akaiwa on the upper floor with a little air left. Akaiwa succeeded in rescuing his wife of two decades on March 12, the following day.{{cite news|last=Westhead|first=Rick|title=The Star in Japan: Hideaki Akaiwa must 'keep looking'|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/955222--the-star-in-japan-hideaki-akaiwa-must-keep-looking?bn=1|accessdate=2 September 2012|newspaper=Toronto Star|date=March 17, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524000050/https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2011/03/17/the_star_in_japan_hideaki_akaiwa_must_keep_looking.html |archive-date=24 May 2019|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=津波に取り残された妻を救うため、スキューバ装備で飛び込んだ夫が海外で話題に (Husband who jumped in with scuba equipment to save his wife left behind by the tsunami became a hot topic overseas) |url=https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/Labaq_51644604/ |accessdate=22 September 2020|website=Excite.co.jp |date=March 31, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922020907/https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/Labaq_51644604/ |archive-date=22 September 2020|url-status=live}} He said "the water felt very cold, dark and scary," "It was quite difficult with all the floating wreckage." Southeast Asia Bureau reporter Rick Westhead asked why he risked his life to save his wife, he answered via his interpreter “She is very important for me”.{{cite news|title=ダイビング装備で濁流に飛び込んだ43才の男性アカイワヒデアキあかいわひであきさん (A 43-year-old man who jumped into a muddy stream with diving equipment Hideaki Akaiwa) |url=https://ameblo.jp/boyoyongo/entry-10846024188.html |accessdate=22 September 2020|website=Excite.co.jp |date=March 30, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110404212945/https://ameblo.jp/boyoyongo/entry-10846024188.html |archive-date=4 April 2011|url-status=live}}
With his mother still unaccounted for, Akaiwa repeatedly searched for her at City Hall and nearby evacuation centers. Akaiwa made full use of his diving skills. He waded through neck-deep water, searching the neighborhood where she had last been seen. Finally, on March 15, based on sightings he found her on the second floor of a flooded house where she had been waiting for help for four days. Akaiwa said “She was very much panicking”, “There were rushing waters all around still and she was trapped in the upper part of her house.”
After rescuing his wife and mother he continued to look for more survivors a week after the massive earthquake and tsunami hit Ishinomaki, for which he was a subject of international press attention{{cite news|last=Szalavitz|first=Maia|title=Altruism in Action: Japanese Surfer Hero Rescues His Wife, Mother and Others|url=https://healthland.time.com/2011/03/23/altruism-in-action-japanese-surfer-hero-rescues-his-wife-mother-and-others/|access-date=2 September 2012|newspaper=Time|date=March 23, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220222837/http://healthland.time.com/2011/03/23/altruism-in-action-japanese-surfer-hero-rescues-his-wife-mother-and-others/ |archive-date=20 December 2019|url-status=live}} and was profiled at the popular website "Badass of the Week" on March 18, 2011.{{cite web|last=Thompson|first=Ben|title=Hideaki Akaiwa|url=http://www.badassoftheweek.com/akaiwa|accessdate=2 September 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314222935/http://www.badassoftheweek.com/akaiwa.html |archive-date=14 March 2012|url-status=live}}
On September 9, 2018, in Higashimatsushima (Miyagi Prefecture), Hamaichi Point (浜市ポイント), Akaiwa participated in the 5th Carlsbad Open 2018 tournament and earned 3rd place in the Surfing Senior Men Class.{{cite web|url=http://carlsbad.jp/2018cbopen_result.html|format=Website |title=5th Carlsbad Open 2018|website=Carlsbad.jp|date=9 September 2018 |accessdate=22 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922002405/http://carlsbad.jp/2018cbopen_result.html |archive-date=22 September 2020|url-status=live}}
References
- http://www.badassoftheweek.com/akaiwa.html
- http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-japan-quake-scuba-20110317,0,7192950.story For one quake survivor, self-help in the face of seeming helplessness by Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times March 17, 2011
- https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/955222--the-star-in-japan-hideaki-akaiwa-must-keep-looking?bn=1
- http://www.theaustralian.com.au/heros-solo-swim-to-save-beloved/story-fn84naht-1226023561529
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akaiwa, Hideaki}}
Category:2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Category:People from Ishinomaki
{{japan-activist-stub}}