Kenji Nagai facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kenji Nagai
長井 健司 |
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| Born | August 27, 1957 Imabari, Ehime, Japan
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| Died | September 27, 2007 (aged 50) |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
| Occupation | Photojournalist |
| Known for | Being the only foreign national killed in the Saffron Revolution |
Kenji Nagai (長井 健司, Nagai Kenji, August 27, 1957 – September 27, 2007) was a Japanese photojournalist. He was a brave reporter who often took assignments in dangerous places around the world.
He was killed in Myanmar (also known as Burma) during the Saffron Revolution. This was a time of big protests. Even after he was shot and fell to the ground, Nagai kept taking pictures. He later died from his injuries. He was the only person from another country who died during these protests.
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Kenji Nagai's Life and Work
Kenji Nagai grew up in Imabari, Ehime, Japan. After finishing high school, he studied at Tokyo Keizai University. He also spent a year studying in the United States.
After returning to Japan, Nagai became a freelance journalist. This means he worked for himself and took different jobs. He worked as a photojournalist for AFP News in Tokyo. He was used to traveling to dangerous places, like the Middle East. From 1997 until he died, Nagai reported from places like Afghanistan, Cambodia, the Palestinian territories, and Iraq. His photos showed what war was really like.
Reporting in Myanmar
Nagai arrived in Myanmar just two days before big protests started. These protests were led by Buddhist monks and many other people. They were protesting against the military junta, which is a military government that had ruled the country since 1962.
The protests began because the government raised fuel prices. But they quickly grew into huge demonstrations with thousands of people. Buddhist monks led marches for freedom in the streets of Yangon. An associate of Nagai's said he was very determined to cover a story. He believed he had to go to "the places nobody wants to go" to report the truth.
How Kenji Nagai Died
Kenji Nagai had been in Myanmar covering the protests since September 25. On Thursday, September 27, he was taking pictures near the Traders Hotel in downtown Yangon. Soldiers opened fire on the people protesting. Nagai was killed, and another foreign journalist was reportedly hurt.
At first, the government of Myanmar said Nagai was hit by a stray bullet. But later, video footage showed something different. It appeared to show a Burmese soldier pushing Nagai to the ground and shooting him very close up.
A famous photo taken by Adrees Latif showed the soldier standing over Nagai. Nagai was on the ground, still holding his camera. This powerful photo was on the front page of The New York Times on September 28, 2007. Another picture showed Nagai's body in the street as the soldier walked away.
Doctors later looked at Nagai's body. They found that the bullet entered his chest from the lower right side, went through his heart, and exited from his back. In 2008, Adrees Latif won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for his photo of Nagai.
Kenji Nagai Award
The Burma Media Association created an award to remember Kenji Nagai. This award honors people who report the truth about Myanmar. The first award was given in 2009 to Eint Khaing Oo, a Burmese female journalist.
See also
In Spanish: Kenji Nagai para niños
- International reaction to the 2007 Burmese anti-government protests
- Hiro Muramoto, a cameraman killed in Bangkok in 2010
- Lucas Dolega, a photojournalist killed in Tunis in 2012
