article_snippet.sent: For proof, look no further than Hiromitsu Shinkawa.
article_snippet.sent: Hiromitsu Shinkawa wasn't one of nearly 16,000 people.
article_snippet.sent: Hiromitsu Shinkawa was waving a self-made red flag.
article_snippet.sent: After being spotted by crew aboard a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer and picked up in a smaller rescue boat, Hiromitsu Shinkawa took a drink offered to Hiromitsu Shinkawa and burst into tears, Kyodo News Agency reported.
article_snippet.sent: Hiromitsu Shinkawa told Hiromitsu Shinkawa rescuers, "I thought today was the last day of my life.