At around 4:20pm last Sunday, emergency services in Tokyo’s Ōta ward received a call saying that a young man had leapt from a building and was lying injured in the street.

Arriving moments later and no doubt prepared for the worst, paramedics were instead met by an altogether different and quite remarkable scene; there were, in fact, two men, but both were fully conscious and had sustained only relatively minor injuries.

Japan’s ANN News reporters were quick to pick up the heart-warming story

It was later revealed that the 36-year-old man had attempted to kill himself by jumping from the window of the fourth floor apartment that he shared with his younger brother.

The younger of the two, however, put his own life at risk by standing in the street below his older brother as he leapt, hoping to catch him and save his life at any cost- an act that might ordinarily result in the death of both parties.

Fortunately for him, though, the death-defying catch worked, and both men are now reported to be recovering in hospital.

Catching something like a puppy or kitten falling from a balcony would no doubt earn the hero of the day a spot in a local newspaper and a pat on the back for their bravery, but attempting to catch a fully grown man is another thing altogether, and has naturally caused quite a stir online:

“This is incredible. To try and save someone like this, even when it could mean losing your own life in the process… What an absolutely astounding feat of courage.”

“Helping a brother without giving your own life a second thought- what an amazing thing family is.”

“By far the most heart-warming thing I’ve heard in a long time. Now that is love!” 

While we certainly don’t hope that any of our readers ever find themselves in such a perilous and tragic situation, we’re certainly glad that this incredibly brave young man was there to help his brother, and we wish them both a full and speedy recovery!

Source: 産経ニュース・NAVER Video: ANN News