Okinawa and Tetsu Nakamura, doctor slain in Afghanistan

Okinawa and Tetsu Nakamura, doctor slain in Afghanistan


December 4, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Haruko Tabuki

Japanese physician Tetsu Nakamura was recently shot and killed in Afghanistan.

The recipient of the inaugural Okinawa Peace Prize as the Peshawar-kai representative for Afghanistan, Nakamura had deep ties with Okinawa.

He even promised to name a newly established clinic in Afghanistan “Okinawa Peace Clinic” and said, “I hope to convey the Okinawans’ [desire for peace] on their behalf, by creating a ‘peaceful base’ in a war-ridden region.”

Here are some of the late doctor’s Okinawa-related quotes.

“Okinawa calls for peace on behalf of the silenced” -In 2002, at the Okinawa Peace Prize award ceremony.

Dr. Nakamura received the inaugural Okinawa Peace Prize in 2002, and gave an acceptance speech at the award ceremony on August 30:

It is particularly meaningful to me that our efforts were recognized by the Okinawan people as ‘contributing to peace by non-violent means.’

For those of us working in Afghanistan, there is a striking contrast between our work far away in Afghanistan, and Okinawa, which hosts the U.S. military bases that deploy troops to Afghanistan.

In Afghanistan, anyone who speaks out for peace is met with violent punishments, and the Afghani people are effectively silenced.

As a Japanese national working in Afghanistan, it gives us pride that Okinawa, an ‘island of military bases’, is calling for peace on behalf of the silenced Afghan people.

The contradictions found in Okinawa are Japan’s contradictions condensed. Persevering without showing support to the U.S. military is impossible, and that is the reality in other places of the world as well.

I want to convey that the hardships endured by Okinawa as a U.S. military host epitomizes the situation seen in all of Asia.

The Okinawa Peace Prize disproves the modern world, in which honor is easily lost.

While we acknowledge that there is controversy surrounding peace prizes, we are certain that ‘peace’ is desired by all Okinawans, regardless of political status.

（From the Ryukyu Shimpo, August 31, 2002）

“The burden should be kicked back to Japan.” -At the Okinawa Peace Memorial Symposium

Dr. Nakamura commented on the U.S. military presence in Asia after the Okinawa Peace Prize Memorial Symposium: “Persevering without U.S. military bases is impossible, and that’s not unique to Okinawa, it’s applicable to Japan as a whole. Instead of Okinawans solely paying the price for it, the burden should be kicked back to Japan. Consider the reality that Afghanistan would perish without a pro-American administration. This issue is not unique to Okinawa, it’s seen widely in Asia.”

Regarding the post-9/11 airstrikes in the Middle East and Japan’s deployment of its self-defense forces, Nakamura commented, “Most of us were guided by this attitude that anyone who commits such heinous acts deserved to be punished.

Journalism possibly played a role in that as well. At the root of this narrative was that Japan wouldn’t have survived not taking a pro-American stance, which was used to justify violence. It’s unforgivable, and clearly unconstitutional.”

“A ‘peaceful base’ in a war-torn region.” -In 2003, when the Okinawa Peace Clinic opened its doors.

The Augudy 31, 2002 Ryukyu Shimpo article reporting on the “Okinawa Peace Clinic.”

Dr. Nakamura opened a clinic in the mountainous regions of Afghanistan using a portion of the Okinawa Peace Prize award money, and named it Okinawa Peace Clinic.

According to the August 31, 2002 Ryukyu Shimpo article, the new clinic was opened in the Sinzai Village located in the valleys of Dara-I-Pech in the Kunar Province of Afghanistan.

The clinic was the only healthcare facility in the area. Dr. Nakamura explained the urgency of the situation in Afghanistan and said, “Based on a tip of Al Qaeda presence in the area, the U.S. military began gathering.”

He then expressed his passion for the clinic and said, “[A clinic] is especially important in a war-torn area. It’s a silent kind of force, a solution that does not rely on violence, or use force against force. [..] I hope to convey the Okinawans’ [desire for peace] on their behalf, by creating a ‘peaceful base’ in a war-ridden region.”

“I want to underscore the importance of peace by telling our story.” -In 2017.

Dr. Tetsu Nakamura taking the podium at a conference in Urasoe City, in 2017.

In 2017, the late doctor spoke at a conference held by the Okinawa Josei no Tsubasa no Kai (literally: the wings of women association.)

There, Nakamura commented on the latest world affairs: “Currently, each nation is working to advance its own interests in non-peaceful ways.

The fact is, we are in a state of confusion. I want to underscore the importance of peace by telling our story.”

(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)

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