Company Executive Swept Away By Tsunami After Saving Chinese Workers

The Chinese media has been reporting about a Japanese fisheries company executive who saved the lives of his company’s Chinese trainee workers by leading them to high ground. The executive was later swept away by the tsunami, and is presumed to be dead:

When the tsunami hit Miyagi Prefecture on March 11, Sato Mitsuru, a commissioner with the Sato Fisheries Corporation, led the Chinese research students to a safe place and went back to search for his wife and daughter. However, waves soon engulfed the area and Sato went missing.

Yi Yanan, a research student from northeast China, said she saw Sato climb to a roof to avoid the tsunami, but he was quickly carried away by the water.

Sato’s wife and daughter remained missing too.

Cao Jing, another Chinese research student, said the executives of his corporation found a hotel for five Chinese students, even when they were out of touch with their own children.

Later, the five students were sent to a shelter and were united with other Chinese.

“I dare not imagine what would have happened if they hadn’t helped us,” Cao said.

Onagawa-cho had a population of 10,000, half of whom have not been found. All of the about 100 Chinese students were safe in the disaster. Many survived due to the help from locals.

Here is a report from ATV, showing Chinese newspaper headlines about Sato and the workers:

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)