Flowers for Nagai from Burmese people
Originally uploaded by nofrills.
Kenji Nagai's funeral took place in Aoyama, Tokyo, on Monday 8 October 2007. The NTV's News Zero, for which the slain journalist reported from Rangoon for the last time, has said tonight that more than five hundered people attended.
After Mr Yamaji's address, four Japanese journalists gave their addresses.
Mr Shuntaro Torigoe (鳥越俊太郎), who is one of the most prominent investigative journalists in Japan, gave a very emotional address. He shared the experiences in reporting from war/conflict zones (Iran-Iraq war etc), and talked about Robert Capa.
After the funeral, I went to a bookstore in Roppongi. They have an "outlet" store above the main floor. I found Capa's "Slightly Out of Focus" for 1,050 yen. I bought it.
After MR Torigoe, Ms Misuzu Tamaru (田丸美寿々) told about the last meeting with Nagai back in May. She is presenter of a weekly news show which specialises in investigative journalism. Nagai reported for her programme many times, including the AIDS orphan's home in Thailand. "When I asked in May, 'Nagai-san, where are you planning to go next?', he just smiled back and he was very calm, just as usual. I never thought it would be the last time." She told Nagai that the AIDS orphan's home has been getting more donations from Japan after he reported about it.
Then, Ms Aika Kanou (嘉納愛夏) gave her address. She is a young photographer who began her career in 1990s. She met Nagai in Indonesia in the late 1990s, and at his funeral, she told about what she learned from him. Her works can be viewed at her website. She has lost two of her 先輩 (先輩 means "a more experienced colleague") in the recent years: Nagai and Mr Shinsike Hashida, who was ambushed and killed in Iraq in 2005. She went to Falluja in April 2004, when there was a siege after the Blackwater "civillian contructors" were killed in the city. She told Nagai was there, too, and when he found American troops suspecting Iraqi civillians' vehicle, he stepped forward, spreading his arms, and shouted "I'm a Japanese! Don't shoot! They are civillians! Don't shoot them!"
The fourth address came from Mr Nobutaka Murao (村尾信尚). He used to be a civil servant/bureaucrat (Ministry of Finance) but quit the job in 2002 and started his career as a news presenter in October 2006 at NTV's News Zero. The first special report at the show was done by Nagai: a city office's wire-tapping scandal (小平市役所盗聴事件). His news show had many Nagai's reports from China and North Korea (where Nagai examined "white powder" with test reagent and found out that was "speed") and other places.
At the funeral, Mr Murao told how careful Nagai was in investigating and filming. Also, Nagai never exaggerated or played up something he found out or he saw, and that is why his reports have so much impact on the viewers. Nagai's calm and careful way of reporting and talking impressed him and his colleagues so much. His last report from Rangoon was for Murao's show, on the day before he was shot dead, where he appeared on the show as somebody in Rangoon.
Actually I was watching the show on 26th September. I never thought it was done by a journalist but by somebody from JICA (a Japanese governmental commerce organisation) or a travel agency. The report was very professional; calm and precise. It was only after he was shot when I found out that was done by Nagai.
Murao told in his emotional funeral address that Nagai's report from Rangoon was very calm despite the fact that the troops already fired on the day. Nagai promised to give another call at 16.30 (Japanese time) on 27th, but he didn't. He was shot exactly when he was supposed to phone Murao's newsroom.
