「全ての事業を継続」　中村医師襲撃１年で追悼式―福岡

　アフガニスタンで長年、復興支援を行っていたＮＧＯ「ペシャワール会」（福岡市）代表の医師中村哲さん＝当時（７３）＝が、現地で襲撃され死亡した事件から１２月４日で１年となるのを前に、母校の九州大で２３日、追悼式が営まれた。
　駐日アフガン大使や現地スタッフら約５００人が参列。新型コロナウイルス感染防止のため、席の間隔を空け、オンライン中継も行われた。同会の村上優会長は「全ての事業を継続する。前に進みます」と決意を述べた。
　会場には現地で活動する中村さんの写真が飾られ、同国のガニ大統領もビデオメッセージを寄せた。長女の秋子さんは「家族思いの優しい父親だった」と振り返り、会の活動に参加したこの１年を「父を感じる貴重な時間」と話した。式の最後には「平和とは観念ではなく、実態である」との中村さんの言葉が朗読された。（2020/11/23-20:35）

A memorial service for Japanese doctor Tetsu Nakamura was held at Kyushu University in the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka on Monday, ahead of the first anniversary of his death in Afghanistan on Dec. 4.
   To mourn the death of Nakamura, who was shot dead while working on a mission to help rebuild Afghanistan as the representative in the war-torn country of Japanese humanitarian aid group Peshawar-kai, some 500 people, including Afghanistan's ambassador to Japan, attended the ceremony. Nakamura, who was 73 when he passed away, was a graduate of Kyushu University.
   Speaking at the event, which was streamed live, Masaru Murakami, chairman of Peshawar-kai, said the group will proceed with all of its reconstruction projects. "We'll move forward," Murakami said.
   Photographs showing Nakamura engaging in support activities were put up at the venue of the memorial service. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered a video message to participants of the event.
   "He was a kind father who always thought about his family," said Akiko, Nakamura's daughter.