Japan: Boy continues lonely search for family members

Asahi Shimbun ^ | 03/17/11 | KUNIAKI NISHIO

[TigerLikesRooster]

Boy continues lonely search for family members

BY KUNIAKI NISHIO STAFF WRITER

2011/03/17

"I will come again tomorrow," reads one of the messages Toshihito Aisawa, 9, wrote to his family and cousins who have been missing since the tsunami hit Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. (Kuniaki Nishio)

Toshihito Aisawa holds up signs with the names of his family and cousins at an evacuation center in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on Tuesday. (Kuniaki Nishio)

ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi Prefecture--Quake evacuees give sympathetic looks to a boy who has become a familiar face at evacuation centers in this city ravaged by last Friday's quake and tsunami.

But sadly, they cannot offer any information about the names on the handwritten signs he holds up at each center.

The names are of the father, mother, grandmother and two cousins of 9-year-old Toshihito Aisawa. The last time he saw his family members, they were trying to escape from a car being swept away by the massive wall of water.

On Tuesday, Toshihito visited Kadowaki Junior High School, home to about 2,000 evacuees, for the fourth time since last Friday.

He also visited another junior high school and a high school. But no one could provide information to Toshihito that day.

[TigerLikesRooster]

P!

[PghBaldy]

Saddest thread of the day.

[mn-bush-man]

As the father of a 9-year-old (and four other kids), this absolutely breaks my heart. THIS is what the media should be focused on... not fear-mongering about the nuke plant.

He can come and stay with us...!

[wbarmy]

Multiply this by 10,000. The “official” death total is a mirage. The government is only counting those bodies they actually physically have. There are whole towns which have disappeared off the map where every single person was lost. They will not start counting those bodies until they have cleaned up everything and still can’t find them. A reputable IMINT guy said that the loss could possibly reach 100,000.

[MsLady]

God bless Toshihito Aisawa and be with him for the rest of his life. Put a hedge of protection around him. Comfort him and give him peace. Where ever he goes, and whatever he faces, let him know you are there. In Jesus name, Amen!!

[MsLady]

That just breaks my heart.

[Vor Lady]

Amen and Amen.

[MsLady]

I was just thinking the same thing.

[American Quilter]

This is heart-breaking. That poor boy. I hope somehow his family survived.

[HamiltonJay]

I would assume the losses will be in the 6 figures by the time everything is done.. the idea it is only 10,000 just doesn’t seem plausible to me.

I pray that I am wrong.

[poobear]

AMEN!

[SZonian]

God speed young man, I’m praying for you and your family.

[wbarmy]

I meant to multiply that kid searching by 10,000. At the end of the post I said that a IMINT analyst had said it would top 100,000.

[ninergold3]

My heart is breaking for this little boy. We would gladly accept him into our family - immediately.

[geologist]

Amen. Amen.

[SMARTY]

If that doesn’t yank your guts out - you’re already dead.

[servantboy777]

You are an honorable person.

Prayers for this kid, how very sad.

[jcsjcm]

I wish the story stated whether or not someone has taken this poor boy under their wing. I hope he is not doing this all on his own.

I am so upset about this!

[mn-bush-man]

The article does reference a family friend — but he is striking out on his search daily. I can’t imagine one of my kids trying to figure this out.