{
  "id": 17895248,
  "title": "Actor Thomas Ong fractures ankle during solo Japan holiday, drives himself to hospital despite pain",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/03/actor-thomas-ong-fractures-ankle-during-solo-japan-holiday-drives",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-03T02:20:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Channel News Asia",
    "slug": "channel-news-asia",
    "url": "https://www.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/thomas-ong-fractures-ankle-japan-holiday-6514851"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Singaporean actor Thomas Ong, 57, fractured his right ankle during a solo 45-day trip to Japan, cutting his journey short just 10 days in. Ong slipped on wet stone steps while photographing a waterfall, initially mistaking the injury for a sprain. Despite the pain, he drove himself to a local hospital, where an X-ray confirmed the fracture. He chose to let the bone heal naturally, rather than opt for surgery with a metal plate. Ong returned to Singapore and is currently staying with family while recovering. He plans to join a Europe tour on Dec 7, exactly six weeks after his injury, avoiding any set-backs. Ong's Japan adventure had already faced mishaps, including losing his wallet and dropping his iPhone into water. Despite these setbacks, Ong expressed gratitude for his experiences and a sense of humor about acquiring crutches as souvenirs.",
  "summary": "The 57-year-old actor, who also lost his wallet and dropped his mobile phone into water during the trip, joked that his souvenirs from Japan this time were a pair of crutches.",
  "key_points": [
    "Singaporean actor Thomas Ong fractures right ankle in Japan",
    "Ong drives himself to hospital after mistaking injury for sprain",
    "He plans to join Europe tour Dec 7 after six-week recovery"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Choosing natural healing over surgical intervention allows the actor to prioritize a quick recovery ahead of his scheduled European tour later this year.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}