Unconscious man’s hero turns out to be a doctor and J-pop idol

A Japanese doctor, later revealed to be a budding idol, went viral after being filmed assisting an unconscious man lying on the ground.

Maika Kitamura, a member of the J-pop girl group NEO à la mode, which debuted on June 15, was returning from idol practice on Aug. 21 when she saw the man at JR Tokyo Station, she told Fuji TV. The 27-year-old quickly took action, announcing that she was a doctor before rendering aid.

A 40-second video of her heroic efforts — which shows her palpating for a pulse, asking bystanders questions and asking station staff to call an ambulance — has gone viral on X, garnering nearly 20 million views.

Passing the national medical exam in 2022, Kitamura has since been practicing medicine, often updating her fans on TikTok while wearing her scrubs. Kitamura addressed the incident the following day, writing on X, “We are truly grateful to all those who supported us so that we could safely hand him over to the ambulance and transport him to the hospital.”