The Lion Standing in the Wind

Two young volunteer surgeons, Katsuhiko Aoki and Koichiro Shimada, travel from Japan to Kenya to assist Dr. Murakami at the Institute of Tropical Medicine and to help treat locals. Their first assignment takes them to Lokichogio for a month, where they perform surgery on child soldiers; the experience moves Koichiro so deeply that he asks to return, and he is soon joined by Wakako Kusano.

Koichiro had previously been in a relationship with Takako Akishima in Nagasaki, and he invited her to come with him to Africa, but she chose to stay with her family and eventually take over her father’s medical practice. Earlier in life, Koichiro struggled with a stutter in high school, a challenge he conquered after singing as a soloist in the school choir.

An injured child soldier named Ndung’u is brought to Lokichogio, and Koichiro performs the operation on his leg, leaving the boy on crutches. Ndung’u is initially distrustful of others and longs to return to life as a soldier. When Koichiro returns with supplies, Ndung’u is surprised and begins to rethink his future. He starts using his artistic talents to draw portraits of the doctors. After Koichiro dresses up as Santa Claus and hands out Christmas presents to the children, Ndung’u decides to become a doctor to atone for his past crimes.

Koichiro decides to stay in Lokichogio rather than returning to Japan. Wakako privately sets up an orphanage, and Takako takes over her father’s medical practice. In a violent setback, shots are fired at Koichiro’s vehicle and he is killed by a grenade.

Years later, after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, an old woman who was treated by Koichiro visits the orphanage and donates a small bag of corn kernels to help the people suffering in Japan. Ndung’u travels to Tōhoku with the kernels and befriends an orphaned Japanese boy.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:47