YOKOSUKA, Japan –
On a recent evening, Osamu Takaura, a cargo shipment clerk at Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Yokosuka, Japan’s, Sasebo detachment, happened upon an apartment in his neighborhood where he noticed black smoke coming from the roof.
Takaura pulled his car over and walked over to the apartment to try to find the source of the smoke, and found a fire burning inside the apartment. He immediately called 110 (Japan’s equivalent to 911).
A neighbor watching the fire notified Takaura that there was an elderly female living alone in the room next to the fire. He shouted over the window of the porch to let her know of a fire approaching. She was sleeping in the room and did not recognize there was a fire approaching until she heard the shouts.
Takaura safely moved to the entrance of the apartment while shouting instructions. He bravely went up the stairway, and evacuated the woman down to a safe location. A minor explosion occurred at the origin of the fire right after both evacuated from the site. He then stayed at the site in order to safely and accurately guide fire trucks and emergency vehicles to the site as the first responder.
“This act of bravery is a testament to Mr. Takaura’s selflessness and integrity,” said Shigehiro Honda, safety technician at the Sasebo detachment. “He also serves as a member of the neighborhood crime prevention leaders in his community, which helped him accomplish this honorable lifesaving feat.”