When the March 11 quake struck, mayoral candidate Yutaka Ikarigawa was preparing for a speech on the streets of Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture.
The quake jolted the town for three minutes — a seeming eternity.
Believing that a large tsunami could engulf the town within 10 to 15 minutes, the 60-year-old Ikarigawa urged people to immediately evacuate to higher ground — even carrying some to safety on his back.