Masamori Inoue was just a month away from seeing the birth of his second child when a hail of gunfire ended his life.

Katsuhiko Oku was doing what he had always done-trying to help others-when he and his colleague were gunned down Saturday.

The two Japanese diplomats had crisscrossed war-torn Iraq since April to extend assistance to the needy people of Iraq. They were on their way to yet another humanitarian mission-discussing aid to northern Iraq-when they were ambushed and slain.

``The loss from their deaths is incomparable,'' said Yukio Okamoto, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's diplomatic adviser.

Oku, a 45-year-old counselor from the Japanese Embassy in London, was a take-charge guy, someone people could count on to get the job done.

``CPA (Coalition Provisional Authority) has failed to fully meet the local needs because its leaders do not know much about the field,'' Oku told an Asahi Shimbun reporter. ``We must be on the field more often.''

Oku was so intent on helping those in need that even the threat of terrorist attacks would not sway his resolve.

``There is word that extremists are making a sortie from western Iraq, in such cities as Fallujah and Ramadi that have seen frequent attacks on U.S. troops, to the southern region,'' Oku wrote in an e-mail to an Asahi reporter in late September. ``We would like to extend assistance to the region to help with people's livelihood.''

In Iraq, Oku liaised with other countries to coordinate assistance, while Inoue, an expert of the Arabic language, served as an interpreter.

Inoue, 30, a third secretary at the Japanese Embassy in Baghdad, was also in charge of Japanese grants for local grass-roots activities. He visited hospitals, councils and schools, reflecting, perhaps, his sense of family values.

``It's tough dealing with so many projects with a small staff like this,'' he said.

Inoue often drove in and around Baghdad, despite the constant danger. When asked if he was scared, Inoue replied with a laugh: ``It's quicker driving this way myself.''

Facing danger apparently runs in the family. Inoue's wife, Yukino, wanted to go to Iraq after hearing about the violent death of her husband.

``Although people around her opposed, Yukino insisted that she should be there as soon as possible,'' a family member said. ``We feel so sad for her.''

Inoue was in Iraq fulfilling a lifelong goal. In a brochure at his alma mater, Kumamoto University, Inoue wrote, ``The only reason I chose the law department was because of my dream to be a diplomat.''

But he also cherished his time with his family. He met up with his wife and son in the summer in Jordan, and used his holidays in October to return briefly to Japan.

Oku also had a family: his wife, Emiko, and three children.

The two husbands and fathers earned the respect of those who worked with them.

Kensuke Onishi, chief executive officer of nongovernmental organization Peace Winds Japan, said he had often seen the two busily moving around in Baghdad, covered in dust.

``Never being haughty, both men actively sought to exchange information,'' Onishi said. ``I always respected them.''

Their deaths also came as a blow to Okamoto, Koizumi's adviser, who has visited Iraq several times and called the two ``my indispensable partners in Iraq.''

``Oku visited towns throughout Iraq to talk to people,'' Okamoto said. ``They planned Japan's assistance and were relied upon by Iraqi people.

A college rugby player from Hyogo Prefecture, Oku welcomed the re-establishment of an Iraqi Olympic Committee in his ``Letters from Iraq'' column in the Foreign Ministry's Web site. He also wrote about his dream of seeing the Olympic torch being carried through Iraq, Palestine and Israel.

He also hated violence.

``Those who resort to violence will never obtain support,'' he wrote.(IHT/Asahi: December 2,2003) (12/02)