Japanese physician Tetsu Nakamura, one of six people gunned down in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, was a committed aid worker who had for decades provided medical treatment and help to the poor in the borderlands of the country and Pakistan.
In recognition of his significant contributions, including the construction of irrigation systems, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani granted Nakamura honorary citizenship in October.
Nakamura's 66-year-old wife, Naoko, tearfully told reporters Wednesday that she had recognized the risks her husband faced doing aid work in Afghanistan, where security remains volatile, but hoped that she would never have to hear the news of his death.