The Japanese Doctor that SAVED Afghanistan

弃医修渠扎根阿富汗35载

History of Everything

2026-10-19

26 分钟
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单集简介 ...

He was a Japanese doctor who went to treat leprosy and ended up irrigating 16,000 hectares of Afghan desert. Afghanistan called him Kaka Murad — "Uncle Murad." Few foreigners have ever been mourned in Afghanistan the way Dr. Tetsu Nakamura was. When he was assassinated on December 4th, 2019, the president helped carry his coffin, an airline painted his face on a plane, and vigils were held across the country. Afghans didn't call him by his Japanese name. They called him a relative. Nakamura spent roughly 35 years in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He started with leprosy patients and refugees, one at a time. He ended by turning a place called the Valley of Death green. In between, he kept discovering that medicine alone couldn't cure the illnesses he was treating — so he taught himself civil engineering rather than walk away. He studied a 1790 Edo-era weir from his own home region in Japan, drew up plans, and operated the excavator himself. His canals now feed an estimated 600,000 people. Watch the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Fight me at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠war of the barons⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Check out my trips with me ⁠here⁠ Check out my merch ⁠here⁠ Check out our sister podcast the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mystery of Everything⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Coffee Collab With The Lore Lodge ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠COFFEE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Bonus episodes as well as ad-free episodes on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Find us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Submit your relatives on our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠website Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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单集文稿 ...

  • You know, my friends,

  • few foreigners in history have been mourned in Afghanistan

  • the way that Dr. Tetsu Nakamura was.

  • When news of his death on December 4th, 2019, were reported,

  • vigils were then held in Kabul, as well as other cities.

  • And this is something that, again, if you are not familiar with the story,

  • sounds absolutely baffling, but it gets even crazier.

  • The president of Afghanistan would go and help carry his coffin,

  • and an airline painted his face on one of its aircraft.

  • Ordinary Afghans did not call this man by his Japanese title.

  • Instead, they called him Kaka Murad, "Uncle Murad."

  • This was the affectionate name of a relative

  • rather than a visiting benefactor, or anything like that.

  • And honestly, there's a very key reason.

  • You see, Nakamura spent roughly 35 years

  • working in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan.

  • He began by treating leprosy and caring for refugees

  • fleeing the Soviet-Afghan War, one patient at a time.

  • And so from there, over the course of that time,

  • he ended up bringing generational change to farmland