Dr. Tetsu Nakamura, the University Professor of the Institute for Advanced Study of Kyushu University who died in an attack in Afghanistan on December 4, 2019, was posthumously awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Government of Japan for his contributions promoting international friendship between Japan and Afghanistan.

In addition to the award, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also personally presented a letter of appreciation to the family of Dr. Nakamura at the Prime Minister’s official residence on December 27, 2019.

Such letters are primarily reserved for Nobel Prize Laureates and those who have saved someone’s life and only in exceptional cases are presented in recognition of an individual’s international activities, further attesting to the impact of Dr. Nakamura’s work.