Nearly one year after he was rescued floating on the roof of his destroyed home 10 miles out to sea, Hiromitsu Shinkawa says all that he wants now is a peaceful life. Shinkawa, 61, moved to an apartment in the city of Kawasaki in August of last year to be closer to his daughter and 2-year-old grandson, but will be returning to the town of Minami Soma for the anniversary of the event that made his miraculous escape front-page news around the world.
When he was rescued by a passing warship on March 13 - 43 hours after he was swept out to sea by the retreating tsunami - Hiromitsu gulped down an energy drink and immediately burst into tears. "I thought today was the last day of my life," he told his rescuers. (telegraph.co.uk)