Losing her entire family in the disaster... Not Alone: 15 Years of Me and My Auntie May 10, 2026, 24:55~ (Nationwide broadcast on NTV)

Miyagi Television Broadcasting Corporation (Headquarters: Miyagino-ku, Sendai; President: Katsuya Yamada) will broadcast NNN Document '26 "Not Alone: 15 Years of Boku to Auntie" on Sunday, May 10, 2026, from 24:55.

A 7-year-old boy who lost his entire family in the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake and his aunt who started living with him after the disaster and had no experience in child-rearing. The program will tell the story of the two who have lived together for 15 years since they started living under one roof.

Boku and Auntie who became a family

Keisuke Henmi (22, 7 at the time of the earthquake) of Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, lost his parents, who ran an auto body shop, his grandmother, and his older sister, who was in the fourth grade at the time, all in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

Reiko Hino (66, 51 at the time of the earthquake), his mother's sister and aunt who lived alone in Sendai, took him in at the age of 7. For Reiko, this was her first time raising a child. She also took over the management of the auto body shop run by Keisuke's parents, despite her lack of experience, for Keisuke, who had always admired his father.

The two spent the coming seasons together and strengthened their family bond. After graduating from a vocational school, Keisuke became an auto mechanic, just like his father, whom he had always admired. He is now training to one day take over the factory that his auntie protected for him.

As time goes by, her memories of her late family fade away. In the midst of all this, Reiko finds something. A videotape of Keisuke's parents' wedding. While most of the photos and memorabilia had been swept away by the tsunami, it was a precious video of her parents. Reiko decided to watch the videotape with Keisuke, hoping that he would not lose his memories of his deceased family.

In the summer of 2025, Keisuke planned a surprise. I want to give my auntie a "family vacation" for her birthday. She was so busy with her work that she rarely went away with Reiko anymore.

The two of them have been passing the time together while dealing with the grief of the loss of their loved ones. We looked at the 15 years that this "new family" has spun together.

Keisuke Henmi, who lost his family in the earthquake, and his aunt, Reiko Hino

They became auto mechanics to take over the factory left by their father.

<Comments from the production staff

When we first interviewed these two in 2011, we decided to interview them. I made up my mind that as long as I interviewed them, I would not do so in a half-hearted manner. This was only natural, given that the two people we interviewed were prepared to do so with a great deal of determination. Over the past 15 years, we have watched as they have supported each other and looked forward to the future amidst the immeasurable grief brought about by the unprecedented disaster of the Great East Japan Earthquake. We hope that many people will be able to understand how these two people became a "family" that can trust each other through their many days of cuddling together.

Director Hiromasa Sasaki, Miyagi Television Broadcasting Co.

Biography...At the time of the earthquake, he was a member of the news department. In April 2011, he participated in the production of a documentary program on the Great East Japan Earthquake, which was jointly produced by Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima TV stations. Since then, he has continued to work on projects and programs on the theme of the disaster. In the winter of the same year, he met Mr. Hino and Ms. Henmi and conducted interviews with them, leading to the broadcast of "Not Alone" in 2014. Although he had been away from the news department for about eight years due to personnel changes, he kept in touch with the two and continued to communicate with them during that time.

Hiromasa Sasaki, Director, Miyagi Television

Program title: "Not Alone: 15 Years of Me and My Auntie

Broadcast Date: Sunday, May 10, 2026 from 24:55

Broadcasting organization: Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV)

URL ： https://www.ntv.co.jp/document/