World Report

One University Student's Heroism has Inspired Many in Japan

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ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: Japan is paying tribute to a man who died while trying to save a life. A South Korean student was one of two men who tried to rescue a man that fell off a train platform; all three died. The student's funeral was attended by a host of officials, including Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori. Japan's Channel J tells us how the heroic efforts have tugged at the heart of nation and inspired many.

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SHINGO TAMURA, CHANNEL J CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It happened at January 26 in a station on the Chymemura line (ph) that circles Tokyo. A South Korean student and a Japanese photographer saw a man fall off the platform; they jumped down in attempt to rescue him, but the train was too close to stop; all three were hit and killed.

Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and other high-ranking officials attended the funeral to express respect for his brave behavior. Mori said, His self-less action was a good example for many Japanese. The two's heroic attempt moved many Japanese. They tried to rescue the man without thinking of the danger to their own lives; and prompted railway companies throughout the nation to take additional measures to prevent passengers from falling on the tracks.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The train would come before I could decide.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If someone falls off platform in front of me, I don't know what I would do.

TAMURA: His Korean friends said, he had a strong sense of justice and he used to wonder why Japanese people don't try to help others in trouble.

Five days after his death, a woman five months pregnant fell from the platform on the Kao (ph) line in Tokyo. Five men jumped to her rescue, and this time, a happy ending. The woman was only slightly injured. Does this latest rescue by passengers on the Kao (ph) line suggest the earlier tragedy has changed the attitude of the Japanese public? Perhaps so, and maybe, the untimely death of a South Korean university student will not have been in vain. This report was prepared by Shingo Tamura, Channel J Japan, for the CNN World Report.

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